Howl at the Blackened Moon
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When Aizen betrays Soul Society and Byakuya is injured in the exchange, memories return and the Kuchiki leader recalls a love affair with the traitor that he'd rather forget. But Aizen is not done with him and when he tries to bring the noble to his side, one warrior stands in the way...yaoi, mpreg...Renji/Byakuya, some Aizen/Byakuya
1. Silent Witness

**Howl at the Blackened Moon**

**By Spunky0ne**

**Chapter 1: Silent Witness**

**(Seireitei – 100 years before Aizen Sousuke's Betrayal)**

"Where are you, you damned feline?" shouted Byakuya, slashing furiously at the nearby bushes.

Leaves, twigs and dust erupted from the object he had loosed his frustration on, obscuring the air around him. He heard the infuriating sound of her laughter and sensed her flash steps. Growling and spewing threats, he flash stepped after, promising himself that this time he would keep going until he had her. He wouldn't stop.

He sensed her spiritual pressure somewhere in the trees ahead of him, but he sensed others too. She wasn't moving, but had, for some reason, stopped. A moment later, her spiritual pressure disappeared. He huffed a short, determined breath. She wasn't going to escape him by blending in.

He drew down his own spiritual pressure, carefully masking it as he had learned to do, then moved forward, in slow, light steps that scarcely made a sound on the soft forest trail. He slipped off of the trail and moved through the trees in the direction from which the sound had come. There were male voices speaking and odd guttural noises…and no sign that Yoruichi was anywhere around.

One of the voices registered suddenly in his mind…

_Aizen fukutaichou?_

A strange, unsettled feeling passed over him and he edged forward, careful to make no sound. The guttural noises continues and rose into screams and pained howls. His stomach clenching, he knelt behind a boulder and peeked out around the side. What he saw made his heart pound wildly in his chest and brought him back to his feet. He recognized the ones on the ground…taichous and fukutaichous…but he couldn't make sense of what was happening to them. Swirls of bone were growing around their faces and they were screaming and groaning…_as though they were turning into hollows!_

And standing over them, watching them with frighteningly tranquil eyes was Aizen Sousuke. At his side was Tousen Kaname…and on his other side…

He ducked back behind the rock, covering his mouth to keep himself from making a sound and praying that Gin Ichimaru hadn't seen him. He heard a flash step and flash stepped back into the cover of the trees as Gin appeared by the rock he had been hiding behind, and stood for a moment, looking around and touching the place where he had rested his hand.

Despite his usual brash nature, Byakuya was shaking. Something frightening was going on…something awful…and if he made one wrong move, he would be discovered. He watched as Gin concluded his examination of the rock and looked around one more time before returning to Aizen's side. He could still see the ones on the ground, their movements slowing, the sounds becoming lower and softer. Someone else had arrived, another taichou…

He was too far away to hear the words, but he saw the flares of power that rose up and knew it wasn't safe to stay any longer. He kept his spiritual pressure masked and turned toward home as the power the others were using rose and flared wildly, leaving him with a feeling of fire on his skin. He risked a flash step and moved onto the trail he had taken earlier. He seemed to be in a safe enough place, so he walked quietly, listening to the breeze moving through the branches and trying to think of what he would do.

His grandfather needed to know. He would probably tell Soutaichou and the perpetrators would be rounded up and put on trial. He didn't know what would happen to the ones who had been attacked…

"Kuchiki Byakuya," said a soft tranquil voice, "What are you doing out walking alone?"

He turned slowly and met Aizen's eyes as calmly as he could, noting that Gin and Tousen were with him.

"Aizen fukutaichou," he said softly, "you surprised me. I was…training…with Shihoin Yoruichi. You haven't seen her, have you?"

"No," said the man, moving closer, "I haven't seen her. You should just leave it and go home. You know how she plays games."

He saw Gin's smile widen and sensed Aizen's hand moving to his sword. He took a step back, but flash steps sounded around him and he was suddenly being held in place by Gin and Tousen.

"You know he saw," Gin said to Aizen, "Just let me kill him and be done with it!"

Aizen laughed softly.

"That always seems to be your answer, Gin. Really, I think we can find a way to convince this one to keep quiet. After all, we don't want to bring the wrath of the Kuchiki family down on us, do we? No, I think we need to find another way to silence our young friend, here."

"Let go of me!" yelled Byakuya, loosing a blast of kido.

The hands holding him released and he flash stepped madly, knowing if they caught him now, they were going to kill him. The trees spun by and he could hear his heart pounding, and the harsh, gasping sound of his breath. He reached the end of the trees and burst out of them, then skidded to a stop, looking around in confusion.

He was back in the forest…

And the three were surrounding him…

He stared up into Aizen Sousuke's deceptively gentle eyes and felt his heart stop in his chest. He was going to die. This man was going to kill him and there was nothing he could do…

"Byakuya…"

He stared into Aizen's eyes, determined not to look afraid. If Aizen was going to kill him, he might not be able to stop it…but he could die honorably…not crying or begging for his life, but with his pride intact. He swallowed hard and looked back at Aizen…waiting. He stepped toward Byakuya with that unbreakable gentleness in his eyes, with calm all around him, and Byakuya was astounded that anything could be so deceptively gentle while behaving with such coldness. A warm hand came to rest on his face and the eyes bored down into his. He sensed enormous spiritual pressure rising around them.

"My plans were nearly ruined by your family once before, Byakuya. Your father once did as you have, once innocently witnessed what he should not have…_and I killed him for it._ I had to kill your mother too, because I was convinced she knew. But your clan made my life miserable, poking around, relentlessly pursuing their killers."

"Bastard!" hissed Byakuya, reaching for his sword.

A firm hand stopped his and he felt a shock pass through him as his spirit energy was sealed away. A binding kido wrapped around him and Aizen moved closer, holding him under the chin and staring into his eyes.

"Let go!" he screamed, too furious to control himself, "Let go, you murdering bastard! I'll kill you!"

"No…" said Aizen's soft voice, "you won't do anything. Don't worry, Byakuya. I won't kill you…like I killed them. But I have to make sure that you don't tell anyone. I have to make sure that no one ever hears about what you saw."

He drew his weapon. Byakuya stared, frozen and helpless at the shining metal of the blade.

"Most people don't know that my weapon can hypnotize. Even less know that it has a special ability that allows it to block the memories of those who fall under its spell. So, you see…I don't have to kill you to keep you quiet. I'll erase this from your mind…"

Byakuya shivered and caught his breath as the sword rose over him. Aizen smiled down at him.

"Don't worry, Byakuya, it won't hurt. And when you wake, you won't remember this at all."

"No…" he whispered, closing his eyes, "You can't get away with this! I will remember! I will!"

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

There was a brilliant flash of light…and then he was falling…

XXXXXXXXXX

"Byakuya?" said a worried voice.

He realized suddenly that he was lying in a ditch alongside the trail he had been flash stepping down earlier, looking for her.

"Did something happen? You were unconscious…"

He looked up at Yoruichi with a confused expression.

"What?" he asked, finding his voice.

"What happened?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned, "One minute we were playing tag and now I find you unconscious!"

He reached up to rub his throbbing head and found a lump.

"Ow," he muttered, touching the tender spot searchingly.

"You hit your head on something? Let me see."

"I'm fine!" he said irascibly, "Leave me alone! I've had enough games. I'm going home…and next time, don't bother to come over! You're annoying!"

He surged to his feet and swayed dizzily, shrugging off her hand that attempted to steady him and almost falling back into the ditch.

"Get away from me, demon cat!" he said, turning and flash stepping away.

Yoruichi watched him leave.

"It's a good thing they didn't find you out here," she mused, "If they thought you knew anything, they probably would have killed you."

Chapter 1: A Threat and a Promise

**(45 years later)**

Byakuya sat up suddenly, crying out and gripping the covers. His body shook violently and his eyes were wide and panicked. He leaned forward, dropping his face into his hands and trying to slow his breathing. He felt a warm hand touch his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"S-sousuke!" he gasped, "Kami, you nearly frightened me to death…"

The hand rubbed his bare shoulders and back lovingly and Aizen Sousuke leaned forward and kissed him gently on the throat, beneath his ear.

"It's all right, Byakuya," he said softly, "It was just a dream. Why don't you lie back down? I'll make some tea for us."

Byakuya watched as Sousuke left, then turned in the fifth division taichou's bed so that he could look out at the moon and stars.

_Why can't I get past this? Why do I keep dreaming he's…he's some kind of monster? We've been together for years…and I know he wouldn't hurt me like that. What is wrong with me?_

He climbed out of bed and walked out into the hallway. He could hear Sousuke's voice coming from the kitchen and stepped closer. He started to enter the kitchen, but spotted his lover talking on a soul communicator and stepped back out of the room. He stood listening to the one-sided conversation.

"I think he has begun to remember. This has been the problem all along. He's so strong, he keeps punching holes in the hypnosis. I thought seducing him and keeping him close by would help, but I need to try something different…"

There was a short pause.

"No, Gin, I'm not going to kill him. It drew enough attention last time and I don't want to risk it. Besides, I enjoy that sweet, perfect body of his far too much to destroy it. No…I will go over to the twelfth division tomorrow and see if I can't find something to stave it off. It would be a dreadful inconvenience if he were to remember now. He is going to be named clan leader and as soon as Ginrei leaves, he will lead Squad Six. He's far too useful to get rid of now."

There was another pause.

"I will put something in the tea to make sure he sleeps, then while he is out, I'll get something stronger from the twelfth. He won't suspect anything. In all of the time we've been seeing each other, he has never suspected anything. He has been a very devoted lover. I don't know what I'll do with him when it's time to leave. It would be a shame to kill him even then, but by then, we won't need to worry about what his clan would do to us. I would take him with us, but he's just too unpredictable. It's a shame, really. I have become quite attached."

Aizen laughed softly.

"Yes, he is quite enjoyable in bed. And our conversations are so stimulating. He really is a fascinating lover. I will miss him…but I won't let him live long enough to suffer over me. It would be far too cruel to leave him alive after making such a fool of him."

Byakuya backed away and fled to the bedroom. He heard footsteps in the hallway and knew there wasn't time to get away. Instead, he climbed back into bed and pretended to have fallen back asleep. The door opened and footsteps approached the bed. A weight settled next to him and the light turned on. Byakuya moaned softly and turned toward him, sitting up. Aizen smiled at him and handed him the tea.

"This should calm your nerves."

Just the sound of that soft, gentle voice made him want to scream. He wanted to tear the man apart…to hurt him…to kill him. But Byakuya had no illusions about who would win any confrontation. So he accepted the tea and stared down into the cup, frowning.

"What is it?" asked Sousuke, "What's wrong?"

"Oh," said Byakuya, wincing, "I have a headache. I'll be fine. I just need something for it."

"I'll get it. You just work on that tea."

He left the bed and stepped into the bathroom. Byakuya turned and took a swallow of the other man's tea. He emptied a small measure of his own tea into the other cup and set it back on the nightstand. He waited until his lover emerged from the bathroom and lifted his cup to his lips. He closed his eyes and caught his breath, swaying dizzily.

"S-sousuke…I…feel…"

He fell back and dropped the teacup onto the floor. He felt a weight on the bed and then hands touching his face. He made his body as limp as he could and waited. Warm lips fastened on his, tasting them lightly.

"Good boy, now you'll sleep. It's better this way, Byakuya. It's better you never know…that you live only knowing how much I love and respect you and die before you can figure out it was all a lie. But we have quite a few more years to enjoy our love. And when I leave, I'll be sure you die humanely. You have been a truly wonderful lover. I could almost hate myself for doing this to you. You truly are precious."

It took everything in Byakuya not to try to kill him then and there. But he couldn't overcome Aizen Sousuke yet. He just had to get away. Sousuke's arms wrapped around him and pulled him close.

"Sleep," Aizen whispered, kissing him gently, "no more nightmares will come to you tonight. And tomorrow, I'll make sure they go away for good. I don't want anything to ruin this, Byakuya. I want every last moment with you…"

He waited until he was sure the little bit of the drug that he'd slipped into Aizen's tea took effect, until the chest he rested on rose and fell at a steady pace…until the reiatsu around them was calm and settled, then he very carefully pulled free of him. It was tempting to think of killing him as he slept, but he had no proof the man had done anything wrong…only what he had overheard and vague memories that might or might not be real. He slipped out of bed and dressed hastily, then left the room and started for the front door, tears burning in his eyes as he thought about how wrong he had been to ever trust Aizen Sousuke. He'd been such a fool, letting himself fall for someone so evil…someone who had done unspeakable things and somehow controlled him so that he couldn't remember. And now that he was remembering, Aizen wanted to use drugs to keep him under that control…all so he could use him…control him…use him…kill him. An anguished sob escaped him as he reached the door. His hand was on the doorknob when he was pulled off his feet and down onto the floor. Sousuke's arms wrapped around him tightly and that insanely calm voice sounded in his ear.

"You know, don't you? You heard me talking to Gin."

He didn't answer, but tried to pull away, silent sobs choking him. But Aizen's arms held him too tightly. There was a flash of power around them as his lover sealed away his spirit energy.

"I'm sorry, Byakuya. I never meant for you to find out like this. I did everything I could to keep you from remembering, because I didn't want to hurt you like this."

"You never felt anything for me," Byakuya managed in a whisper, "You just wanted to use me and kill me when you were finished with me! I never meant anything to you…"

"You're wrong about that," whispered Aizen, holding him tightly and stroking his hair, "I do love you…but you know too much…and I can't depend on you. You're too unpredictable. You could endanger my plans. So…I thought to share this love we have for as long as possible and to kill you without you ever having to bear the weight of knowing the rest. It doesn't mean that I don't love you. You just can't be a part of this and I didn't want you to be hurt…"  
"You crazy bastard!" he cried, tearing away, "How can you do that and call it love? How could you do that to me and say you love me? How…how could you?"

He backed toward the door, watching as Aizen rose and started across the floor…moving toward his zanpakutou.

"It's all right, Byakuya. I won't hurt you. I'll just take this unpleasantness from your mind and you can go back to sleep. Come."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"You _are_ insane! Kami, I trusted you…I…Sousuke…"

Aizen flash stepped and wrapped his hand around the hilt of his blade. Byakuya broke into a run and burst out the door. He felt a flash of power and dizziness swept over him, but he forced his feet to keep moving. He sensed someone ahead of him and ran faster, turning a corner as another flash of power rose up behind him. He ran into someone and fell, then staggered to his feet as the other called his name.

"Byakuya!"

He continued running blindly, but as he did, his mind seemed to flicker oddly, and slowly the events seemed to shift and spin together. By the time he reached the manor gates, he only recalled that something had happened to cause his panic, but he had no idea what. And by the time he reached his room at home, his heart had calmed, and he forgot that he had been running from anything at all. As he laid down in his bed, even the memory of being Aizen's lover had faded from his mind, and he sighed softly and closed his eyes.

_That was strange._

_I feel like something happened, but I'm not sure what._


	2. Reunion at the Sokyoku

**Chapter 2: Reunion at the Sokyoku**

"**Kill her…Gin…"**

The words were spoken softly and he shouldn't have heard them, shouldn't have felt them break over him and launch him from his knees, there among the rocks and bushes where he had stopped to rest after his failure to defeat Kurosaki Ichigo. But something both inside and out, something of the workings of the heart he had tried so hard to suppress, gave way and Aizen's words reached him.

And once he heard them, there was no time to think about them, no time to stop and gauge the probability that, as injured as he already was, that he might fail to arrive in time, might fail to pull her out of the way. There was no margin for error and no room for failure, so he poured everything into closing that distance.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion around him and his mind screamed not to let the distance between his sister and himself close too slowly. The image ahead of him froze and all he could see was Sousuke holding Rukia suspended in the air by her throat…and the flash of Gin's zanpakutou being released. His mind raced faster than his flash step, registering that Ichigo was down, Renji was down and there was no one else. And he knew that if he failed to reach her and she died, he would never be able to live with himself.

As he closed the distance, everything inside him began to shatter, mind, heart and body breaking all at once, draining him of his last reserves and bringing him at last to her side. There was one more frozen moment that registered, the moment that his hands found Rukia's body, that Sousuke's eyes lifted and met his for less than a heartbeat, then flooded with realization.

Aizen's eyes held his as Gin's blade found his heart and drove him down to land in a crouch, facing his former lover, with Rukia held protectively off to his side. He wondered at the explosion of blood all around them, at the fact that the pain did not register…and that here, at the end of his life, all that he could feel was relief that he could save her. He saw just a flash of surprise and regret in Aizen's eyes and surprise and delight in Gin's, then his legs gave way and he dropped to his knees, still holding Rukia protectively.

Then he had time to think about what came next…about the fact that while he had pulled her out of the way, they were still facing enemies who were not likely to leave them alive. He heard Rukia sobbing his name…and then the familiar sound of Kyoka Suigetsu being loosed from its sheath. He could not lift his head to look again into those gentle eyes, to watch as they ended both his life and Rukia's…and as the man stepped closer, it registered in his mind why he would do this to Rukia, why he would use her as he had, set her up to die…and use him to prepare the way for her execution. It was strategic, methodical, premeditated torment…and it wasn't directed at her at all…no, not her, but him.

The words flashed suddenly in his fading mind…

"My plans were nearly ruined by your family once before, Byakuya. Your father once did as you have, once innocently witnessed what he should not have…and I killed him for it. I had to kill your mother too, because I was convinced she knew."

_"If you come to me now, I promise you…I will not hurt you. And when we leave, I will find a way to take you with me. Byakuya…I love you. I don't want to lose you. But if you run…do not expect me to just let you go. I promise you…if you run from me, I will make you sorry. If you run, I will kill anyone who gets close to you."_

It was his fault, all of it…he remembered now. He remembered it all. He remembered the night in the forest…and what had made him leave Sousuke, despite how difficult it had been…and why he had never been able to look into the man's eyes again without feeling a quiver of terror inside. The nightmares he used to have while sharing Sousuke's bed, while giving himself, heart, body and soul to the man, were not dreams at all, but hard, cold reality. And the reality that approached him now with deceptively gentle eyes and hard, icy steel was the culmination of that awful, heart rending betrayal he had endured…his flight…and Sousuke's threat made real.

He wanted to look up into those eyes one last time, to let the bastard know that he remembered now and that if he lived, there was nothing that would stop him from killing Aizen Sousuke…for his parents, for Rukia, and for the breaking of his own torn and broken heart. But he couldn't move. The blood still poured out of him…still ran in red streams down his body and filled his mouth. He couldn't lift his head, his eyes…couldn't even move or do anything…except to rest in the softness of his sister's arms and wait for death.

Dizziness washed over him and he couldn't fathom why the blade hadn't fallen on them yet. And he wondered…was this another illusion? Had his life already been taken? And had Rukia's blood joined his, spilling out onto the ground?

There was movement all around them now. But he didn't know anymore if the voices sounding around him were real, illusion, or the turnings of his own dying mind. He thought he heard Yoruichi…Gin…others he barely remembered or didn't know at all. But he knew the sound of his sister sobbing and knew the feel of her hands as she lowered his body gently to the ground.

He couldn't see or hear or speak anymore. But he knew someone had come. He felt the leaving of Aizen Sousuke, even without the use of his senses…and he knew then that Rukia was safe. Sousuke had failed to take her…and with his death, would have no reason to hurt her anymore. It was that thought alone that allowed Kuchiki Byakuya to let go of everything and welcome the long, slow fall into darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya drifted in and out of consciousness. He surfaced long enough to feel the touches of healing on his body, to call his sister to him and to give her the truth he had promised Hisana he never would. But it had been a mistake to make that promise. Wrapped in his misery over losing Hisana, he would have done anything to comfort her. He had made the promise blindly, not being able to think ahead or behind, but only being swallowed by that all encompassing grief that swelled around him.

It took the remainder of his strength to tell her the story, to look into her eyes, to feel her hand in his and offer up an apology that could never be enough. But it was enough for her…and he couldn't help but feel touched, loved, and forgiven as she raised his hand and pressed it to her cheek.

And so something of his wrongs had been undone, but there was still that deeper betrayal, the love that had been an utter lie, the murders of his parents, the use and near execution of his sister…so much to bear upon his heart and to live to regret, to live to pay for, to live to exact payment for.

As he sank into the darkness, with that small, soft hand holding his, he wondered suddenly if there was one more betrayal that he hadn't even realized.

"Hisana…" he whispered.

He felt Rukia's lips touch his fingers and faded away again.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Byakuya woke next, he found himself in a hospital room in the fourth division, heavily bandaged, carefully pain-blocked and unable to move. Rukia sat in a chair beside him, her upper body collapsed onto the bed and her head sharing his pillow. In the past, she would never have dared to do such a thing, but having given up the truth to her, and her having forgiven him had seemed to cause a shift in the boundaries between them, at least, he thought, as long as she thought he was unconscious.

And sure enough, when he stirred, she woke. She met his eyes as though not knowing what should or would happen next, as though not knowing him at all, but suddenly meeting him all over again. She sat up quickly and her eyes grew wide as she waited for him to say something.

But he wasn't sure at all what to say.

"Rukia," he managed in a whisper.

He was taken aback by how weak and shaky his voice sounded. And he could see it had frightened her. She slipped her hand into his, but sat straight backed and rigid in the chair.

"Nii-sama, you shouldn't try to talk yet," she said, not quite meeting his eyes, "You need more rest. Don't worry. I won't leave you."

For some reason he couldn't fathom, the words triggered a memory. Rukia and the fourth division disappeared and a memory loomed up before him.

"Aishiteru yo, Bya…" Sousuke whispered against his lips, "I will always love you. There is nothing in the heavens or all the worlds that is as beautiful as when your body joins with mine. You must swear you will never leave me. I don't know what I would do if you did."

_It was odd feeling that flaring heat inside, the sensation of being filled, completed. He rested beneath Aizen's body, relaxed and sated, the loving brown eyes feeding the blaze of warmth inside him._

"_I promise then, Aizen taicho, I won't leave you."_

_Finger touched his lips, stopping him._

"_We are lovers now, Byakuya. To you, I am Sousuke."_

"Sousuke…I won't leave you…Sousuke…" he whispered as his lips were warmly claimed again.

He bit back a sob of memory and swallowed hard instead, feeling the deep ache in his chest as he did. It was ironic, but somehow fitting that Gin's blade had pierced his heart. Even more astounding was that there had been any blood left flowing through it. He had thought that his heart died when he lost Hisana, but in truth, it had been torn and bleeding when he met her. She had only lessened the damage, but he hadn't found the thing yet that could heal it…no…even bandaged like this, he was still bleeding out. He felt his body shiver and a groan escaped him.

He sensed that Rukia had surged to her feet and heard hushed whispers around him. Cool hands touched his face and healing power flared around him again. He heard Unohana taichou's sweet voice telling him that there was infection in the wound, but that he would be fine.

Of course there's infection inside. I never let go of it. It just stayed inside, eating away at me…that betrayal. I would rather have Shinzo pass through my heart a hundred more times than to feel that pain again.

He felt Rukia take his hand again and he tried to fall asleep. But the questions roared through his mind. Now that the memories had returned, they hounded him, burning against his mind with the ferocity of the fever that raged on the surface of his skin.

The reality of what he had done was crushing. It was bad enough that he had violated the rules a hundred times over by going to bed with someone male, not noble class, and a taicho of the Gotei 13. But he had not just gone to bed with, but had fallen in love with the very man who had killed his parents, the one who had orphaned him, the one who had left him feeling isolated and lost among his noble relatives.

He wondered how he could have been so very wrong about anyone or anything, but try as he might, he couldn't find a single place, time or circumstance in which Aizen Sousuke had ever been anything but kind, gentle and loving with him. It was as though, for that time, he wasn't so alone, that some of the emptiness he felt after losing his parents faded away. He was surrounded by what he thought was love. It was there in the looks, the words, the touches, the quiet time spent together, the fact that he loved being with Sousuke whether they were making love or just walking in silence under the stars. No one had ever shown him affection like that. Until that last day, he had honestly had no clue who Aizen Sousuke truly was. A creature of illusion and deceit, he had completely surrounded Byakuya in illusion, and he had fallen for it…all of it…

He found himself wishing that he hadn't overheard the truth that night, that he had just remained blinded by the illusions and been taken down by Aizen's hand, still innocent, still unknowing, and still deeply in love. But if he had, there would be no one to bring his parents' killer to justice. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Kuchiki Byakuya to cling to. He grabbed on to the promise of eventual justice and began to fight the infection wholeheartedly. The heat of fever raged inside him, but he refused to let himself give up. He held on just for the satisfaction of making that lying, deceitful man pay for what he had done. The fever gave way to the sheer force of his will and sweat drenched his body, leaving him weak and drained.

He began to rise to the surface again and felt Rukia's presence. Although it was admittedly comforting to have her there, he hated her seeing him weak like this. And he wondered who was taking care of her, making sure she ate and slept. His concern for her raged inside and he ached to be able to speak the words. If he could only open his eyes, sit up…say anything.

His breath was nearly taken away when a familiar voice rose up and ordered Rukia to go home, to shower, eat and get some sleep.

"The worst is over. He'll be all right now. Get out of here before I drag you back to the manor myself! I swear to you, I will not leave him for a minute."

There was a long pause.

"You promise, Renji?" Rukia asked dazedly.

"I give you my word. I have no desire to leave his side, and it isn't just for you. It's because…I owe him."

What? He thinks he owes me something? Why? What did I do? What did I ever do but mistreat him…oh, and attempt to kill him, because he wanted to save my sister's life. What is in his head?

"Thank you, Renji," said Rukia in a small and tired voice.

He felt her leave the room and sighed in relief. He felt Renji's eyes on him and found he was holding his breath. There was a pause and then he felt Renji coming closer, sitting down next to him. He didn't touch him, but he sat quietly for a moment, as though gathering his thoughts, then he started to talk, seemingly to Byakuya, but as though he didn't expect Byakuya to hear or respond.

"I hope you don't mind me taking her place here for a bit. She doesn't want you to be left alone…and she's right…whether or not you know it, you need us here as much as we need to be here. But she was exhausted and she wouldn't eat until the fever broke and you started to get better. She'll be back…too soon, if I know her. She gets protective of the people she loves. She always has. Back in Inuzuri, she used to bring in the little kids and take care of them, give'em names, give up her portions of food so they'd have enough. Damn, I'm surprised she survived long enough to find her way into the academy. If it weren't for that, she would have been like a star winking out."

It was the most he'd ever heard Renji say all at once, and the most relaxed his fukutaicho had ever been in his presence.

Because he doesn't really think I can hear him.

"Renji…" he whispered.

It made him want to laugh to feel the tightening of his reiatsu, the automatic straightening of his body and the seriousness that returned with just that one word from his taicho.

"T-taicho?"

He sighed softly and didn't answer. Renji was there and that was enough.

_But…why is he here? I know he promised Rukia, but he also said he owes me. Why would Renji think he owes me anything? Why?_

He sank back into sleep still wondering. He was fast asleep when Rukia returned to his side and Renji took the seat near the door.


	3. The Promise of Vengeance

**Chapter 3: The Promise of Vengeance**

A soft voice reached into Byakuya's clouded mind as he slept, one he recognized immediately as the one that had sounded most frequently near him as he slowly reclaimed his senses. He knew he had been injured saving Rukia, and he knew who had tried to kill her and why. He also knew that his wound had become infected and he had been in somewhat of a haze, so he could no longer mark the time he had spent in the healing center. But none of that mattered anymore. The only thing that mattered was regaining enough strength to go after Aizen. He lived and breathed for it now. But as long as Rukia remained at his side, he couldn't leave anyway, so he was comforted by her words as she leaned over him and touched his arm very lightly.

"I have to go for a while. There is something I have to do, but I will come back to you when I am done with this, and I'll be really glad when you are well enough to come home, Nii-sama."

He opened his eyes and looked up at her, managing a short nod of acceptance. Rukia smiled.

"Nii-sama, Renji is going to stay here with you until I return."

He turned his head and followed her eyes to the silent, bandaged man who sat in a chair by the door, slowly whittling a piece of wood. Renji's eyes lifted for a moment to meet his, then dropped again.

"Well…I'll just leave you two to talk, then," Rukia said, giving Renji a stern look.

Byakuya blinked curiously, wondering why she was suggesting that they talk. There was little to say. Renji had admitted to hating him for taking Rukia into his home, for isolating her and breaking up their friendship. He had admitted to watching Byakuya carefully, learning everything he could about the noble, even taking a position close to him for the sole purpose of surpassing him, or in proper terms, stabbing him in the back. And though he was beginning to grow accustomed to the feeling of being betrayed, this particular betrayal stung with an unusual intensity.

Simply put, he had been blind to it, and he wouldn't have expected something like that from Abarai Renji…

Certainly, he was brash and fiery, short tempered and ferocious when angered, but Byakuya had read him as fiercely loyal.

…to his friends, of which I am not one. I had thought his loyalty would extend to his taichou. And once again, I have completely misjudged the character of someone I…I trusted. Will I never learn? How many people will smile at my face, say all of the right words and then take advantage of me? I had an excuse with Aizen Sousuke, being naïve and taken in by his powerful hypnosis. But this man stalked me with the purpose of punishing me. He wanted to hurt me from the beginning, and I was so distracted, so caught up in my pain, I completely misjudged him and underestimated him and I let him get too close. It is a mistake that I will not make again. Not with Abarai Renji, and not with anyone else.

He sat up slowly and turned his eyes to look out the window. The man in the chair near him shifted slightly and he felt the brown eyes come to rest on him for a moment, before dropping again.

"Renji," he said, still looking out the window, "why are you here?"

There was a long pause.

"I'm here because…you're my taichou."

"You probably wish I was dead. That's probably what you're thinking."

"No," said Renji, looking up at him, "If you were to die, then what motivation would I have for getting stronger? And in fact, Taichou…"

If Byakuya could have moved and had been armed, he would have killed Kurosaki Ichigo then and there for bursting in at that moment. As it was, he barely kept his focus as Ichigo and Renji shouted at each other over him, sending a shock of pain through his aching head and making him want to cover his ears. He watched quietly as the two shouted back and forth, then sighed in relief as the substitute shinigami left.

The words he exchanged with Renji after that were inconsequential. He had his answer. He knew what Abarai Renji's intentions were. He was going to remain close to Rukia. And he had every intention of brazenly continuing to try to surpass his taichou. That was still his motivation. But at least he was being open about it now. That was a relief…

He dismissed Renji from his mind and silently tested the strength of his body. His reiatsu was abysmally low, but it would be enough for what he intended to do. He glanced around and caught sight of Senbonzakura, fully restored and carefully placed in a stand on the wall near his bed. He slowly tensed the muscles in each leg and although pain still shot through him, his movement did not appear to be impeded. The worst pain was, of course, located in his chest, but placing a hand in the area of the wound when he had to move seemed to lessen the discomfort. He noticed Renji looking at him and met his eyes questioningly.

"You look like you're in pain, Taichou," the redhead said quietly, "should I get a healer?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"I am fine, Abarai."

Renji nodded.

"You want me to make you some tea?" he asked.

The question struck Byakuya like the impact of an arrow in his heart. How many times had he looked into Renji's cheerful expression, into the warm, brown eyes, and heard him ask the same question? Over and over, the words had entered his ears, until they were merely a part of his general association with Renji, an association he had found to be comfortable…predictable…constant.

But there were, he reminded himself, no constants anymore. Renji, like Aizen Sousuke, was just another he had to hold at arm's length and watch carefully. He wondered if he would ever again feel the comfort and safety he used to feel in Hisana's calm presence. He felt an ache inside, thinking that he had begun to grow that comfortable with Renji, only to have the younger man turn out to be just another person out to deceive him.

Why does that hurt so much? He is no one…just a friend of Rukia's from her days in the Rukon. He may have served in the post of fukutaichou, but he never truly served me. It was all a lie.

He wondered if he should have Renji reassigned, then caught himself thinking too far ahead. All that mattered now was putting one foot in front of the other and turning those feet in the direction of Las Noches. It didn't matter what the outcome was. His pride would be reclaimed in his attempt to kill Aizen Sousuke. Whether or not he survived was immaterial.

He waited until the light had faded, until the healing center had grown quiet again. Renji remained by the door, sleeping now, loathe to leave the position he promised Rukia that he would keep during her absence. He sighed longingly, wishing that such loyalty would evidence itself in his life. But then again, he thought, it had. He had been able to trust Hisana. And it might not have been romantic love between them, but it had been safety of a sort for both of them. He had protected her physically by removing her from Inuzuri and she had been his very closest friend, the only one not bound to him by his nobility or military position. Yes, they had carefully protected each other, and it had wounded him deeply to lose her.

He was nagged again by the question that had invaded his mind before. He knew that she had been in poor health, but still, could it be that it wasn't just that? Could it have been Aizen Sousuke carrying through on his threat?

I will ask him before I kill him.

He slipped out of the bed and cringed as pain struck with nearly enough force to make him gasp. He held back the sound, very aware or Renji's presence and the fact that a healer could come in to check on him at any time. But luck, he found, was with him and he was able to slowly change into the plain shihakusho Rukia had brought for him to wear on the way home when he was released, to pick up Senbonzakura, and to slip out of the room unnoticed. He worked his way carefully through the hallways and past the lobby to the entrance. He stepped out into the darkness and turned toward Sokyoku Hill.

The walk was more taxing than he had thought it would be, and his condition somewhat worse than anticipated, but he rested for short periods and was nearly there when he felt Renji's reiatsu rising in the distance. They knew he was gone now, but it wouldn't do them an ounce of good. He would be beyond their reach soon. He arrived at the area at the base of the stand and raised his eyes to the starlit sky.

He focused deeply, calling to life for the first time since his injury, a significant amount of power. They would sense him now and come for him, but he was beyond being stopped, unless Sousuke chose to ignore his call.

He focused on the link that had been so strong when he and the fifth division taicho were together. It had been shattered, but he hoped that the message would reach his former lover.

Sousuke…

He felt a flicker of emotion that crossed the distance between them.

He waited.

The darkness continued to deepen and he felt Renji's reiatsu closing in on him, but he was not of a mind to call out again. He waited, watching as his deceitful fukutaicho reached the edge of the bridge and caught sight of him.

"Taicho!" Renji called across the distance.

Byakuya closed his eyes.

He felt the strong, familiar reiatsu of his ex-lover swell and his answer sounded in the weary shinigami's mind.

I can only bring you to into Las Noches if you consent to stay. Once here, you may not leave, Byakuya. You do understand this?

Renji flash stepped toward him, calling out to him again. He stopped a short distance away, panting from exertion.

"Taichou…you are in…no condition to be…running around out here. P-please…let me help you get back to the…healing center. It's cold out here…"

Byakuya looked into the warm, caring brown eyes he had trusted and he wanted to cry at the honest concern that he saw, but he had misjudged Renji before and he was not about to do it again.

"Taichou…"

"I am sorry, Renji," he said softly, looking away, "Our association has ended. You are free to join another division, but you will not serve me any longer. I will not take action against you, but you must know that as the trust between us is broken, I can no longer entrust my safety to you. In any case, I will not be here to be watched, nor surpassed."

"What are you talking about? Taicho…I thought that…"

"That what? Because I came to my senses and did the right thing by saving Rukia, that it changed the fact that you deceived me? Renji, you said, yourself that if I died, you would be left without motivation to get stronger. You still want to surpass me. The only thing that has changed is that now you have admitted openly to your hatred of me. I accept that and will not fault you for it…but…"

"Taicho, I don't hate you."

The dark gray eyes rose and met his again. And it was then that Abarai Renji learned the true nature of the damage he had inflicted on his commanding officer. He might not have been able to shatter Byakuya physically or power-wise, but he had broken something inside the man, and now Byakuya was bent on distancing himself.

Damn! Just when I thought things were really going to be different!

"Taichou, look…"

"There is nothing left to say, Renji. But I do have a final request."

Renji felt the power rising around them and stared in dismay as a golden light rose around Byakuya and lifted him into the sky.

"Taicho!" he cried, "Taicho, don't!"

"If you want to regain my trust, then protect my sister. Protect her with your life. Do this, and you will prove your intentions, Abarai Renji."

"Taicho!" cried Renji, running toward him, "You can't do this! Stop!"

For a moment, he found himself worried that Renji would touch the power that had surrounded him, but he was out of reach now. He stared down at the man below him and was surprised when Renji screamed his name again. He screamed it over and over until the garganta opened and took him inside. Slowly, the Seireitei disappeared and he found himself set down in the courtyard of a huge fortress. Hollow guards stepped forward and he drew his blade. They had nearly reached him, when a soft, familiar voice rose up out of the darkness.

"Stop, allow him to pass."

The hollow guards growled discontentedly, but fell back. The huge fortress doors opened ahead of him and a lone shinigami walked slowly out to meet him. He waited until they were face to face, then looked up into the other's questioning eyes.

"This is your last chance to change your mind, Byakuya," he said quietly, "Once you pass through these gates, you may not return to the Seireitei. Do you need some time to think about this?"

"I need time only for an honest answer, Sousuke," Byakuya said quietly, "Did you kill her?"

The traitor didn't need to ask who they were discussing.

"Byakuya, before I answer that question, I think you should be aware of something. I know you have remembered everything. The reason that I know is because I allowed you to do so. As you fell to Gin's blade, I gave you back the memories I withheld from you. And I did so, knowing that it would bring you here. I wanted you to come here. I told you long ago that I would find a way to take you with me, and at the time, you were in love with me and I wager that, had we talked to each other that night and you had not run from me, we would have left the Seireitei side by side and it would not have been necessary to take anyone's life."

"Then you admit it. You did something to Hisana, and then you used Rukia in your plans and tried to kill her so that you could punish me."

"I told you that if you ran from me I would kill anyone who got close to you. I always keep my promises and follow through on my threats, Byakuya."

"You said over and over that you would never hurt me."

He hadn't meant to say the words and when they left him, they sounded lost and torn. He had, he thought, left that emotion behind him. But it had come out of him before he could stop it. And now, Sousuke was looking back at him with affection.

"And you said that you would not leave me, Byakuya. Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do," the noble said softly, "It was said in the full honesty of that moment, and I meant it with all of my heart. But it was based on a lie, Sousuke. It was based on you loving me as I loved you, and you didn't."

"I did. I loved you very deeply, Bya. I still do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have felt the need for revenge when you left me."

"And if you hadn't been planning to kill me, I would not have left."

The brown eyes blinked slowly.

"I am not planning to kill you now. I will allow you to enter this fortress and join me. We can regain what we had before, if that is your desire."

"And is that your desire, Sousuke?" Byakuya asked in a low, angry tone.

"Of course, Byakuya. It is, I admit, true that I seduced you to keep you quiet. But I did fall in love with you, and I remain in love with you."

"And you believe that I can simply overlook the fact that you killed my parents and my wife, that you used Rukia in your plans and tried to have her killed as well? You think that I can accept all of that and still love you?"

Aizen smiled.

"I think nothing of the sort, but I understand something about you that you have not yet discovered. By taking away your ability to trust anyone and by removing the ones you love from your life, I have left you with no one else you can turn to for love. Think, Byakuya, you know this to be true. There is no one left who you can trust, and you love no one. You are lonely and empty inside. Whether or not you know it, you still belong to me, and when you realize how isolated you are, one way or another, you will return to me, either to try to kill me, or to give in to the only love that exists for you now. You will never trust enough to love again, and I will kill any foolish enough to love someone like you, who is no longer capable of loving them in return."

He gazed into the smoky gray eyes hungrily.

"So what is your answer, Byakuya? Love or death?"

The noble stared back for long enough to gather a final breath, then poured everything he had left into his answer, every ounce of strength in his body, a last burst of kido and one final release of his zanpakuto.

He was pleased to see as he collapsed, that the blood that spattered Aizen Sousuke's white clothing was not his alone.


	4. Watched

**Chapter 4: Watched**

"Taicho!" Renji screamed at the top of his lungs, watching in horror as the garganta closed.

His mind spun furiously. He knew without hearing a word from Byakuya that there was no way in hell that Byakuya had defected…not after seeing Gin nearly kill Rukia. That left few possibilities. It was possible that he had been somehow mentally controlled…that perhaps Aizen had done something to him and had made him take leave of his senses. A more likely possibility was that Byakuya was so pissed at Aizen for going after Rukia that he was on a mission to kill the traitor…a perilous task with him at full strength…and as run down and injured as he was, more like suicide. _But_, said his inner doomsayer, _either Taicho doesn't care if he dies avenging his sister…or maybe he hopes to die avenging her. And either way, this is NOT HAPPENING!_

He flash stepped down from Sokyoku Hill, and lit out across the Seireitei, not pausing to think. If Byakuya was taken directly into Las Noches, he would need help to get to him quickly. He dared not ask anyone from the division to come and he especially dared not involve Rukia…

"Renji!" said a familiar voice that stopped him in his tracks.

He turned and spotted Rikichi standing in the middle of the road ahead of him.

"What are you doing here, kid?" he asked gruffly, "It's the middle of the night…"

"I was in the division office, helping the third seat keep up with the reports and making the training schedules. I heard…something."

"It was nothing, Rikichi. Go back to the barracks and get some sleep."

He turned to leave.

"Renji, sir…I heard you…calling for…him," Rikichi panted, trying to catch his breath.

He shifted uncomfortably.

"I saw the garganta. I don't know why he let it take him, but I know he wouldn't betray us. I really want to help!"

Renji knew he couldn't leave Rikichi behind with that kind of information. He looked back over his shoulder.

"Well, are you coming? If you are, then fucking _move_, soldier!"

They flash stepped down the empty streets, Renji holding his speed enough in check so that the youth could keep up. They reached the senkaimon and froze as a group of Squad Two senkaimon guards appeared in front of them. They glared at the two in annoyance and Renji silently prayed the two would just keep walking. He pushed Rikichi toward the senkaimon and started to follow.

"Hey! Abarai fukutaicho," said one of the Squad Two members, "Where are you two going? Sotaicho has restricted access to the senkaimon."

Renji turned and gave him an annoyed look.

"Aw, hell, I got assigned to go and babysit some snot-nosed kids in Karakura Town. I am a fukutaicho. I'm allowed to pass."

"You are," said the guard, "but he's not!"

"Oh," said Renji, "I have battle wounds and he came along so I wouldn't have to call in one of those Squad Four weaklings. This guy's a little more useful in a fight."

The guard chuckled sympathetically.

"I hear you…" he said, "Okay, go on, Abarai fukutaicho. Just be cautious. There are a lot of hollows acting up right now."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Renji muttered, dragging Rikichi into the senkaimon.

The youth followed, wide-eyed and curious as they headed for Karakura Town.

"How did you do that?" Rikichi mused, "I thought we were…"

"Just told'em a sensible story and made sure not to say too much. That's what gets you into trouble, saying too much. You give a short, sensible explanation and it will work every time."

"Oh…"

They reached Karakura town and turned toward Urahara's shop. Renji silently tried to come up with a way to get Rikichi out of the way without being too obvious or hurting the kid's feelings. As Urahara's shop loomed up before him, he was still considering. He flash stepped to the door and knocked loudly. There was a long pause and Renji knocked again, with more urgency. They heard footsteps approaching, then the door opened a crack and Urahara's sleepy face peeked out at them.

"Hey," he said, drowsily, "What's all the racket? We spent all day fighting hollows and most of tonight mopping up the mess. We're all beat! What do you need, Renji?"

"I need access to the garganta."

Urahara blinked.

"I don't know…"

"Like hell, you don't!" Renji said firmly, "You think I'm that stupid?"

Urahara gave a short laugh.

"If you want to use that garganta, you're not just stupid, you're stupid and crazy! Why in kami's name would you need to use the garganta?"

Renji met his eyes warily.

"Kuchiki taichou has been…abducted," he said carefully, "We have…found evidence that leads to Las Noches. Rikichi and I are investigating to see if the rumors of him being held captive in that place are true."

Urahara eyed him skeptically.

"You're an awful liar, Renji," he said quietly, "Why don't you come in and tell me what's really going on?"

Renji gazed into the shopkeeper's eyes for several long moments, then sighed resignedly.

"Okay, there's more going on than I said, but I really need your help and…"

"Renji," said Urahara patiently, "I have every intention of helping you…just…let's go inside. I have a feeling that you don't want to be overheard."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke to the soft touch of silk against his skin and the comforting feel of being wrapped in someone's arms. He might have allowed himself a sigh of relief at the lessening of his pain, but suddenly he remembered what had happened just before the darkness closed in. He knew he had felt the impact as Aizen's blade had slashed across his body, dropping him in his tracks. He had already been weakened before by Gin's attack, so he should have been killed instantly. A cold feeling passed through him as he considered why Aizen had ordered him healed.

But, he decided, the time for asking why could come later. All that mattered now was killing the bastard who had murdered his parents and wife…the one who had tried to kill Rukia. He turned in Aizen's arms and started to wrap his hands around the traitor's throat. He gasped in pain as a heavy shock gripped his body, freezing him in place. Aizen's brown eyes opened and met his with the same tender warmth they had every time they had slept together. He looked, Byakuya thought, as though nothing had ever happened to break them apart.

"Byakuya," he said, leaning forward and brushing his lips against the noble's.

Byakuya flinched and pulled away.

"What in kami's name are you doing?" he snapped, "I came here to kill you. I didn't come here for some sick reunion with the one who murdered three people I love!"

A sudden thought cracked across his mind and his eyes widened. Aizen gazed into his eyes calmly.

"Don't worry," he said quietly, "I haven't touched you except to heal you, and perhaps to steal a few kisses, but I do not plan to have sex with you…if that is what you are worried about."

Byakuya felt relief wash over him, but didn't allow the expression to reach his face. He stared at Aizen, waiting.

"Do you wish to know my intentions, Bya?" Aizen asked softly.

"Not unless they include releasing me so that I can kill you, no," he answered.

"I am not going to subject you to any of the torments usually meted out to prisoners," Aizen said, calmly ignoring him, "I have no desire to hurt you, and by 'hurt' I do also mean taking you against your will."

"Is this supposed to ease my mind?" Byakuya asked coldly, "or is it supposed to wear it down…wondering what foul plan you have in play?"

Aizen shook his head.

"I will make no secret of what I am about. I plan to keep you here in Las Noches with me, to have you sleep next to me, to assign you certain tasks that you _will_ perform and to enjoy your presence at my side."

"And what else?" asked Byakuya skeptically.

"You need do nothing else. If that is all you want for your existence, then that is all you shall have. If however, you find that your heart wishes for more, I will be happy to resume the loving partnership we had before."

"You make me sick!" exclaimed Byakuya, turning and pulling away.

He froze as a strong hand wrapped around his wrist and he realized that each wrist now wore a slim, silver band. And each band held two silver charms. Held in place, he stared at them, wide eyed.

"Take them off!" he said angrily, "I am leaving."

The dark brown eyes glinted warningly.

"You no longer have the luxury of deciding what you will or won't do. You gave up that right when you came here, Bya. You will remain in Las Noches for as long as I do, leaving only once we go to the spirit dimension. Once I am king, you will be my consort and lover, so eventually, I will have you back."

"I would rather die than be with you!" Byakuya hissed, pulling away as Aizen kissed his cheek.

The brown eyes regarded him sternly.

"Kuchiki Byakuya, you lost the right to make any decisions about your future…even about living or dying…when you raised your sword against me in my own fortress and did not succeed in killing either of us. I won the right to decide your fate when I defeated you…and truly, I could have chosen a much worse fate for you. Gin would have gladly seen to your physical torment, had I asked it of him, and the hollows would have made any stay in the prisons a true nightmare."

"I would rather be taken by every hollow in Hueco Mundo, than to feel your touch again!" Byakuya spat, trying to pull away.

Aizen held him in place, calmly watching as fury overtook him.

"Let go of me, you sick bastard!" he cried, struggling, "I despise you! I would rather impale myself on my own blade than be this close to you!"

Aizen brushed a fingertip over a charm on one of the bands and watched quietly as the noble dropped onto his back, immobilized. He smiled and took hold of one slender wrist, holding it so that Byakuya could see clearly.

"I think I should explain these to you so that you will completely understand your situation and stop this ridiculous behavior," he said in a deceptively gentle voice, "As you know, these silver bands hold the seal on your spirit energy. You cannot use any of your powers unless I allow it. Each of the charms that are attached have a function as well. The silver sakura charm protects you from being taken by force. No one, not even I, will be able to take advantage of you sexually…without your permission to do so."

"If you plan on me _giving_ you my permission, think again!" Byakuya snapped.

Aizen smiled.

"A warning, however, if you leave the fortress without me, every hollow within a hundred miles of you will sense your presence and come after you. They will be free to take whatever actions they will."

Byakuya glared at him, but fell silent.

"The silver snake prevents you from attacking me…incapacitates you if you try, and allows me to gain control of you as I just did a few minutes ago and also lets me use your powers…within certain limits."

"What limits?" Byakuya asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I think I will keep that to myself, for now," Aizen said, blinking slowly.

"The silver sword protects you from physical, cero and kido attacks, but again, if you leave the fortress without me, calls the hollows around you to attack you."

He paused for a moment and touched the final charm lightly.

"This last, the silver moon charm is special. I will not tell you its use, but I will tell you that when you decide to give yourself to me, to be my lover again, it will activate…and you will discover its use then."

"Do not expect that will _ever_ happen, Sousuke!" Byakuya said hotly, I will die before I seek your love again!"

Aizen smiled again and nodded.

"Perhaps," he said in an amused tone, "but perhaps you will come to your senses as you spend time here with me. I promise you…this is not meant to be unpleasant for you. I sincerely want you back, Byakuya."

"And this is how you plan to win my affection?" the noble asked disdainfully, "You are out of your mind, Sosuke! You have truly gone insane if you think I would ever want to be with you again. I will find a way out of this! And when I do, I will kill you for taking the lives of the ones I loved!"

Aizen laughed softly, brushing the dark, silken hair away from the noble's sparking eyes. He leaned forward and kissed him, his fingers poised over the snake charm. Byakuya sat quietly and allowed that kiss and several more that followed, then dropped back onto the pillows with a sullen expression on his face. Aizen climbed out of the bed and started toward the door. He opened it, then stopped and looked back at Byakuya.

"You are welcome to come and go as you wish, but you will return to me every night. You should make yourself familiar with your new environment, Bya. I think you will find there are actually some enjoyable features to this fortress. Just, do remember what will happen if you try to leave."

He walked out and closed the door before Byakuya had a chance to insult him. The noble sat quietly for a moment, his mind turning. The situation he found himself in was completely unacceptable. There was no way that he was going to let Aizen hold him captive in such a way.

_I would rather die!_

So he set out to prove it. He moved to the window and opened it, stepping out onto the roof. He followed it to its edge and stood, staring out at the vast expanse of sand between him and the safety of the shinigami fortress in the distance. He had no hope of reaching it, of course, but he could move in that direction, toget as far as he could before the hollows reached him and tore him apart.

He didn't think Aizen was expecting him to die this way, but at very least, this took the choice out of his captor's hands and put it back into his own.

He worked his way down carefully and stepped out onto the sand. He took a last, deep breath and Kuchiki Byakuya began to run.

The sakura and sword charms flashed and he heard sirens blare in the fortress behind him. The response was immediate. Hollows boiled up all around him, their cruel and hateful, red-gold eyes fastened on him. He ignored them and ran as fast as he could through the sand, his eyes on the shinigami base in the distance. He was surprised at how far he got before the hollows closed in around him, cutting off all exits and moving slowly inward. He stood quietly, his chest heaving softly, waiting for the first of them to take hold of him. Their screams rose up all around him and their foul scent washed over his senses. He stood, staring into their eyes as the first set of claws reached him.

A sudden blast of white fire blazed over them, causing the hollows to scream in terror and fall away from him. Strangely, the power didn't hurt Byakuya in any way. He found himself standing face to face with Aizen Sosuke. The leader of the hollows wore an odd expression that looked dangerously close to fear.

I told you that I would rather die than remain here with you, Sosuke," he said, smirking, "I think that you do not wish for me to die, or else you would have simply allowed me to seal my own fate."

He didn't see the approach of the blow that struck him and sent him back into senselessness.

"That…was unwise, Byakuya," Aizen hissed softly, lifting him and turning back towards the fortress, "It will not happen again."


	5. Love and Hatred

**Chapter 5: Love and Hatred**

Renji and Rikichi sat down at the table, waiting as Kisuke left to make tea. Renji's mind still spun around the problem of just what to do with the young, unseated shinigami to keep him away from anyone they didn't want knowing about the manner of Byakuya's departure from the Seireitei, but also out of harm's way. There was no way that the kid belonged on what could be a one way trip into Hueco Mundo. Not that he wasn't a good swordsman or that his shikai wasn't respectable, but in his honest opinion, no one with less than a ban kai should make the attempt.

"Hey," said a familiar voice from the doorway.

Renji looked up in surprise. Ichigo blinked sleepily and dropped down at the table next to Rikichi and across from Renji. It occurred to Renji then that this wasn't where Ichigo usually slept…and that the yukata wrapped around him was one he'd seen Kisuke wearing before…

"Ichigo…" Renji said, pausing to figure out what to say, "I…uh…wasn't expecting to see you here…"

It was a safe enough comment, all things considered.

Ichigo smiled.

"We were up late…training. Didn't feel like going home."

Renji grinned back at him.

"Right," he said, "bullshit."

"Well," Ichigo laughed softly, "the part about not wanting to go home was true enough!"

The smile held a moment longer, then the substitute shinigami's face turned serious.

"So…what brings you and Rikichi here in the middle of the night?" he asked, "And don't tell me you just came for Kisuke's special tea."

"Unfortunately, no," Renji answered soberly, "The truth is that…something happened…to Kuchiki taicho, and I am going to look for him."

Ichigo's eyes darkened with concern.

"What do you mean, something happened to him?" he asked sharply, "What happened?"

"Well, you know that he was pretty banged up from fighting you and from getting hit by Gin's attack."

"Yeah, but I heard from Rukia that he was doing better. They were still keeping him in the healing center, but…"

"Taicho left the healing center in the middle of the night, Ichigo."

Ichigo stared.

"With _his_ injuries?" he asked, already knowing the answer, and already suspecting what would make the noble drag himself out of the healing center when he wasn't close to being healed enough to leave, "Damn! So, do you have any idea where he is, or is that why you came to Kisuke?"

"We know where he is…that is, Rikichi and I know. We saw him leave."

"And let me guess," said Ichigo in a low voice, "You aren't too keen on anyone else knowing how he left or where he was going, right?"

Renji nodded.

Their heads turned as Kisuke entered the room, carrying several teacups on a tray.

"Hey Ichigo, thought I heard you up and about."

He passed the tea around, then took a place at one end of the table.

"So, you need to use the garganta, eh?"

Ichigo's eyes went wide.

"The garganta? You mean, Byakuya is in…Hueco Mundo?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Kisuke said, waving off Ichigo's words, "There's no way _he_ would drag his barely healed body and barely restored zanpakuto there all by himself! Be quiet and let Renji talk."

"Ichigo's right," Renji said, meeting Kisuke's eyes squarely, "Kuchiki taicho left the healing center in the middle of the night…and took Senbonzakura with him. I sensed that he had left and followed his reiatsu to Sokyoku Hill. Rikichi was at the division office and also sensed Taicho's reiatsu. I went to Sokyoku Hill and when I arrived, a garganta had opened and Taicho was being taken into Hueco Mundo…like Aizen and the others."

Kisuke frowned deeply.

"Like Aizen," he mused, "I can see why you figured you didn't want anyone else to know."

"Kuchiki taicho is not a traitor," Renji said firmly.

"Like you'd have to tell any of us that!" Ichigo said in agreement.

Kisuke nodded.

"It hardly seems like something he would do, given that Aizen was the one who put Rukia in the middle of the mess that almost got her killed. Which means that he went there to kill Aizen Sosuke. But you have to ask yourself a) Why did he contact Aizen for a direct transport in? and b) Why did Aizen agree to it, knowing Kuchiki was coming to kill him?"

"He probably figured that it was better to take Byakuya down before he regained his strength!" Ichigo muttered in disgust, "That son of a bitch!"

"Actually," said Kisuke, "having a pretty good understanding of his strategy as of late, I think he had something else in mind altogether. If Byakuya was pissed and Aizen didn't care, he wouldn't have lifted a finger to bring him there like that. That he did, suggests that he had a reason for wanting Byakuya there…and believe me, it wasn't just that he wanted some gardening tips! He thinks Byakuya will be useful somehow…"

"Well," said Renji, "That's one less taicho to oppose him. Wouldn't that be reason enough?"

"Hmm," said Kisuke thoughtfully, "could be. Maybe the temptation of Byakuya offering himself up like that was too much. He probably couldn't wait to…"

"I heard them…talking…" Rikichi said suddenly, "before Aizen taicho left."

All heads turned, as though suddenly realizing that the youth was there with them.

"Why the hell didn't you say something sooner?" Renji snapped, "If you knew that…"

"I didn't know it was that important," the youth explained, "You were at a fukutaicho's meeting and I was trying to catch a hell butterfly Kuchiki taicho asked me to send to the fourth division with our medical supplies order. I was in the hallway and Taicho was alone in the office. I heard the door open and Aizen taicho's voice. I don't know what he said to Taicho, but Kuchiki taicho responded that if there was no official business that he had nothing to say to Aizen taicho. He sounded angry…and his reiatsu was very disturbed. Aizen taicho said something else I couldn't hear and Kuchiki taicho yelled at him to 'Get out.' It's the first time that I ever heard him raise his voice…the _only_ time…"

Kisuke raised his eyebrows and sat back, thinking.

"Sounds like there was something going on between those two before the evil one made his exit…but we don't know _what_ or why Byakuya would have been angry with him."

"Well," said Renji, "Let's face it. Taicho was under a lot of stress with Rukia being threatened and his being unable to help her because of his promise to his parents. He was cross with Ukitake taicho and some others as well."

"Yeah, so it might have been nothing unusual."

"Yeah, right," said Ichigo sarcastically, "That's bullshit and you know it!"

Kisuke sighed and furrowed his brow.

"So now, the two of you want to traipse through Hueco Mundo, scope out the fortress and rescue Byakuya by taking him from the enemy's very teeth?"

"Not the two of us," said Renji firmly, "just me. Rikichi stays here, where he won't be questioned about what he saw on Sokyoku Hill."

"No way!" Ichigo said slamming his hands on the table, "There's no way we're going to let you go there alone!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya groaned softly and shifted in his sleep. His head still ached and spun and it was several long minutes before he realized that he was lying wrapped in Aizen Sosuke's arms. He fought down the urge to attack the man, knowing that it would only result in his being returned abruptly to unconsciousness. If he was ever to find a way free of the bands and charms that entrapped him, he had to remain conscious, to question and to test. It was the only way to free himself. And as he had been assured that Aizen would not force himself on him, he decided to center himself and wait to see what his former lover would say when he woke.

He turned his head to look out the window at the fading stars. He longed to get up and move to the large window seat by the bay window, but Aizen's arms were wrapped too tightly around him. He had always held Byakuya tightly like that before, the noble remembered. He had thought it felt safe…affectionate. Now it just felt like being tied to the man. He moved slightly to loose himself and the dark brown eyes of his ex-lover slid open and regarded him calmly. One arm lifted away, freeing him from the tight embrace, but moving to sink warm fingers into his hair, to curl around his head…to pull him into a deep, forceful kiss.

Byakuya stiffened and pushed hard against Aizen's chest, his mouth opening in protest, only to have his open mouth invaded by a hungry, eager tongue that thrust inside and curled around his. He barely stopped himself from biting down on the offending appendage before remembering that the snake charm would only incapacitate him before he could do any damage. He held his taut body in check, fury pulsing through him as his ex-lover's assault on his mouth continued. He was dizzy with lack of breath by the time the other's mouth released his and Aizen pulled away, still observing him.

"I…thought that I was not to be forced into things of a sexual nature," Byakuya said in a low, angry voice.

Aizen smiled warmly.

"I wasn't attempting to have sex with you. I was merely wishing my lover a good morning."

"I am not, and will never again be, your lover, Sosuke," Byakuya said, forcing the calm to return to his voice.

"Of course you will," Aizen said, ignoring the noble's angry tone, "You will try to resist, but your resistance will fail."

He moved closer again, kissing Byakuya's earlobe lightly and letting out a heated breath that sent a shiver of rage through him.

"No one lives well in absence of love, Byakuya," he breathed against the pale throat, "You have tried for a very long time, but even one like you, who tries to be so cold and distant, cannot escape that truth. You want to be loved. You want to be loved by me…and that is what brought you back to my side. That is what will keep you here…and that is what will make you yearn to be my lover again."

"The only thing I yearn for," Byakuya said coldly, "is to feel my hands wrap around your throat and slowly deprive you of life. I want to watch the light go out of your eyes and feel your body go cold and still in my hands. I despise you. There are no bounds to my hatred of you."

Aizen smiled tolerantly, looking at Byakuya as though he might be a young child who was too naïve to fully understand his own words.

"Bya, you speak of hatred like one who understands it, but you have no concept of what hatred is. You only experienced it for a moment, just before the hollows reached you. You saw it in their eyes and smelled it on their breath, even felt its first touches on your skin before I stopped them. But that kind of hatred, true hatred, has never existed anywhere inside you. You are a good person, one devoted to following the rules and laws of our society, punishing those who would disturb the peace, but nothing within the range of your being is hateful. It isn't in your nature."

"I hate you. You are worse than that snake who follows you," insisted Byakuya, "You pretended to love me, all of the while planning to kill me as soon as you were ready to reveal your true nature."

"I couldn't have gone through with it."

Byakuya searched the depths of the brown eyes for any sign of deception, but it either wasn't there or, true or not, Aizen believed what he was saying.

"I know it…and now you know it," Aizen said softly, "I should have let the hollows kill and eat you for your defiance. You even wanted them to, rather than to stay here. I stood, watching as you ran, both if us knowing how it would end…and it truly surprised me when I moved to protect you from the death you chose…again. That is twice you have set yourself up to die here and twice that I have rescued you."

"Given the choice between death and being your lover, I will always choose death, Aizen Sosuke!" Byakuya said, his eyes flashing, "A swift death is preferable to being slowly strangled and deprived of life by your twisted kind of love."

"So you say now…but give yourself time, Byakuya. You will change your mind. You merely need time to understand our love."

"This is not love, Sosuke," Byakuya said, staring, "This is captivity. You can't change that. I am not free to make any choices. I cannot leave here. You have taken my choices and left me with nothing else to do but love you or slowly die inside."

"So," Aizen said, his smile chilling, "you begin to understand…"

He touched the noble's face lightly with his fingertips.

"But enough of this unpleasantness," he said, climbing out of bed and pulling Byakuya to his feet, "Come, let's get dressed, Byakuya. I have something for you to do…your first task."

"I am not…"

"Oh, it's nothing you will object to, my love," Aizen assured him, reaching for an Arrancar uniform and handing it to the noble, "Actually, this is something you are sure to appreciate."

"I am not wearing that."

"Well, unfortunately," Aizen explained, "your own clothing was destroyed when you arrived and attacked me…so it's this…or you can walk around Las Noches in that yukata and have every hollow in Las Noches committing suicide by trying to bed you. An amusing way for you to conquer my forces, to be sure, but I don't think you would enjoy that kind of attention, ne?"

"Well," said Byakuya sarcastically, "It's not like they would _get_ anywhere before…"

He paused.

"What, exactly, happens if one tries to…"

"Oh," said Aizen, pulling his own yukata off and stepping into a white hakama, "That is Gin's genius at work."

"I see," Byakuya said, feeling a sick feeling pass through him, "Perhaps I would rather not know."

Aizen laughed softly.

"What happens is that every spirit particle in the affected one's body explodes simultaneously, causing the body to crumble to dust and disappear."

He pulled Byakuya's tie free and slipped the yukata off, stopping to admire the pale, beautiful body beneath it.

"Just remember, Byakuya, the charm protects you _only if you do not wish them to seek intimacy_ with you. If you desire it, even to kill them, then they may have their way with you and not activate the charm."

If Byakuya had not known hatred before, he felt it flood his body now.


	6. Cultivation

**Chapter 6: Cultivation**

Byakuya walked silently alongside Aizen Sousuke, his mind lost in silent contemplation. He ignored the sly smile that Gin gave him as they passed, but couldn't quite avoid the eyes of the blue haired Espada beside Gin, that seemed to bore into him and suck the life from him, just being in close quarters for the moment when they passed each other. He shivered as those eyes raked his body, leaving him relieved at the weight of the bands and charms at his wrists. The Espada wasn't just dangerous, but deadly…

Aizen led him away from the Espada and up a long, winding stairway, to the top of a tower and through a carefully secured door. He paused outside the door, turning back to study the calm, quiet noble, who stood, trying to forget where he was and who he was forced to be with.

"On the other side of this door is your first task," Aizen said, blinking slowly, "I designed this room from floor to ceiling…as a place to come to rejuvenate…but I ran into a problem."

He opened the door and motioned for Byakuya to step inside. The noble glared at him and remained standing where he was. Aizen stared for a moment, rolled his eyes and sighed, stepping into the room first, then waiting as Byakuya followed him in, and closing the door behind them.

Byakuya looked around the room. It looked to be a kind of atrium, with a tall, domed translucent ceiling that appeared to change its shading depending on the amount of light that entered the room from outside.

"You notice that it is not night outside, as it is in the rest of Hueco Mundo," Aizen said, moving forward, "I added daytime for those of us not accustomed to constant darkness. It also serves as a means of security. I see everything the light touches…and so watch over everything. I can view it in my mind at any time. The illusion is so powerful that the light actually has the effects of true sunlight on whatever or whomever it touches. Thus, I thought to bring life to this room."

Byakuya stepped forward, studying the intricate expanses of sandstone, the rises and falls of the room's slopes, the areas hollowed out for soaking pools and the place made for a waterfall.

"When finished, it will be good to come here to bathe or to relax under the warm sun…or at night, when the stars shine over the dome. You can imagine, can't you, Bya?"

Byakuya barely heard. His eyes were fixed on the beautiful detail in every bit of wall and flooring…in every surface that touched the eye. And he began to suspect what would be asked of him.

"Unfortunately, although my illusion affects most things as I wish, it hasn't been able to bring any of the plants or flowers to life…so as of yet, they are missing from this room," Aizen said, standing close to him and breathing the words into his ear, "Kuchiki Soujun, your father, could bring life to any garden. And he made the manor gardens his personal project. When you were just an infant, he showed me around the gardens at Kuchiki Manor and I have to admit to being completely captivated. That has only happened one time since."

He nuzzled the noble's cheek warmly.

"You remember when all of the taichos met at Kuchiki Manor for the last cherry blossom viewing before my departure? It was the only time after you left me that I ever visited your home."

Byakuya bristled, but remained silent.

"I was fascinated, both to see the changes in your gardens and to learn that you had, in fact, inherited this unusual ability from your father. Your incarnation of the gardens still contained much of what he created, but added to that foundation a complexity so beautiful that it has stayed with me all of this time."

He took Byakuya's slender hands into his and lifted them to look at them more closely.

"You have a lovely gift, Byakuya," he said, stroking the noble's fingers lightly, "You bring life to the most lifeless places, with a simple touch of these hands…"

"No…" Byakuya hissed softly, pulling away, "How _dare_ you even speak of _him_ after what you did!"

He shook his head and closed his eyes against the surge of emotion Aizen's words brought out of him. The leader of the hollows wrapped his arms around the noble from behind and whispered gently in his ear.

"This place is empty…devoid of life. You can change that, my love. I know you have already envisioned it. I saw it as we entered the room. You can't help it. This ability is innate and beyond your control. You will fill this room with life, because it is your instinct to do so."

"No!" Byakuya shouted, tearing away from him.

He burst out of the room, taking the stairway at a run, and trying to force the image of the completed room out of his head. His chest heaved and his eyes burned furiously. He heard Aizen's footsteps following, light and unhurried and fled even faster, nearly wishing he would lose his balance and fall…so unbearable was that image his mind had created and held.

I won't! I won't let him use it. He killed the man who left me with the ability. I'd rather die than use it to benefit my father's killer!

He pushed open the door at the bottom of the stairwell and turned toward Aizen's bedroom. If he could just get to the bedroom, to the seat by the window…if he could relax his mind and let it disappear into the lazy swirls of sand outside…he wouldn't have to see the image in his head, the picture of what that garden would look like, touched with his gift. He could empty his mind of all thought and not be taken back to the days at Kuchiki Manor when he would work alongside his father, laying his hands to the rich, sweet smelling soil…watching as the tender blades of grass appeared all around his hands…as his powers brought to life whatever vision entered his thoughts.

But the memories were coming to life inside him now…and even closing his eyes and trying to calm his breathing, he couldn't make them go away…couldn't stop them from slowly destroying him…

He turned the corner blindly and felt a hand take hold of his wrist and an arm wrap around his waist.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" said a gruff voice.

He looked up at the source of the voice and found himself staring at the same blue haired Espada he had seen staring so hungrily at him earlier. He felt Aizen moving slowly closer and the pain he had been feeling shifted to righteous anger. He hated the leader of the hollows and wanted to hurt him, wanted to kill him, but had no way to do so.

"Hey," said the Espada, "sealed away or not, your reiatsu is about to fry me."

He pushed Byakuya into an out of the way niche and stood, gazing down at the beautiful shinigami with that same hungry expression.

"He pissed you off pretty bad, eh?"

The catlike eyes closed for a moment, then swept over him again, sending a shiver through him. The Espada leaned forward and brought his fingertips to Byakuya's cheek.

"I get it," he said in a low, predatory voice, "He pissed you off and you would do just about anything to make him pay for it, right? But he has you in these things."

He lifted Byakuya's hand and the noble stared at the bands and charms, entranced.

"Believe me, I know how that feels…" muttered the other.

He brought his face close to Byakuya's, letting it brush up against the noble's. Byakuya flinched, but didn't pull away.

"So…do you want revenge?" the Espada asked softly, his breath raising the hairs on Byakuya's neck, "I can help you with that…if you don't mind getting this sweet body of yours a little dirty."

Byakuya glared at the Espada, his reiatsu flaring hotly beneath the seal. He despised the nasty creature, but he had to admit that there were few ways to strike at Aizen Sousuke…and this was a valid one…if he could stomach it…

He felt Aizen closing in and met the Espada's feral eyes…then slowly nodded. The Espada's blue eyes flared and his smile widened. He lifted Byakuya into his arms and flash stepped away.

"I know how those things work," he said as he carried Byakuya through the twists and turns of hallways, "I know that you can't leave the fortress…so we won't. There are some unused rooms in this wing…"

He turned into one of the rooms and pushed the door closed behind him with his foot. He set the noble back on his feet and studied him quietly for a moment.

"You don't say much, do you?" he sighed, "Well, that's okay, because I don't want to hear it anyway. But I would like to know your name."

Byakuya looked squarely into the blue eyes and said nothing.

"We don't have time for a lot of foreplay, because even though I can hide you for a bit, he will break through that. By then, we'll be done though, and not a thing he can do because you wanted it…"

The Espada slipped his hand beneath Byakuya's chin and tilted his head back slightly.

"No names then," he said softly, "Just something to ease the pain and screw with his head. Sounds fair to me. Looks like he's already gotten into yours if you're really consenting to this. But I'll give you one last chance to back out."

Byakuya held his eyes for a moment linger, then slowly leaned forward and brought their lips together. His first impulse was to pull away, so heavy was the shock of kissing him, but the Espada's arms had wrapped around him and he was pushing forward, backing Byakuya up to the edge of the bed. A hungry tongue invaded his mouth, but instead of invoking affection, the contact sank down beneath his skin and gripped his internal fury, dragging it to the surface and sending the two of them tumbling down onto the bed, their arms and legs tangling as they both clung to and fought each other.

The Espada's hands worked quickly to free him of the white Arrancar uniform, but the noble's hands tightened on his, forcing them to work faster and with less care, until finally, the fabric tore under the stress. The hollow grinned.

"Sorry, looks like I tore those pretty clothes of yours…" he mumbled against Byakuya's lips.

"I want you to tear them," hissed Byakuya, his eyes nearly as feral as the hollow's, "I want you to rip them to pieces!"

Seconds later, their shredded clothes lay scattered on the floor and their bodies were heatedly entwined. The Espada ground his hips roughly into the noble's, meeting his mouth heavily for an exchange of bruising kisses as Baykuya's body rose up against his, writhing fiercely.

"Shit," panted the Espada, "You must hate that bastard as much as I do!"

"More…" answered the noble, tearing away from his lips and biting down on his shoulder.

The Espada moaned hungrily as the shinigami's smaller fingers dug into his skin painfully, pulling at his hips, forcing them deeper and deeper into his own until the blue haired hollow was flushed with passion. He brought his fingers to the noble's lips, only to have them bitten hard. His eyes narrowed and he loosed a growl, grabbing the shinigami's body, forcing his thighs apart and trapping Byakuya beneath him as he moved into position.

"You sure you want it this way?" the hollow warned him, "It's going to hurt…"

"Does it look to you like I care?" Byakuya panted.

The ferocity in the hollow's eyes wavered.

"Kami, what the fuck did he _do_ to you?"

"Just shut up!" the shinigami snapped, "You wanted this. I saw the way you looked at me…just…get it over with…"

The Espada's icy blue eyes fixed on his and drove themselves down inside him. Byakuya felt the weight of them to the core and froze beneath the Espada, staring back at him, silently. A surprisingly warm hand rose to cup his cheek and the kiss that followed was slow and exceedingly gentle.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Well," said the Espada, "it may come as a shock to you, but now and then…by chance more than choice, I have been known to do the right thing. As much as we both want to fuck with Aizen, right now I don't feel like doing that at your expense…not that I really give a shit about you. Hell, I don't even know you…but something about your eyes tells me that what we had planned would hurt you more than him anyway."

The Espada sat up and pulled Byakuya up with him.

"You are in a whole mess of trouble and you don't even know it," the hollow said, taking the shinigami's hands and caressing them lightly.

Byakuya flinched at the intimacy of the contact, but said nothing.

"You still look like a shinigami, but you are about as close as a guy can go to being a hollow…without dying. I may not give a shit about you, but I don't want to be the one who pushes you over."

Byakuya closed his eyes and took a trembling breath.

"You think this is what you want," the Espada went on, "but there's still a small part of you that's alive enough to know that it's wrong…and that part will eat you alive if we do this the wrong way, so…"

He climbed off the bed and gathered his clothes, slipping back into them, then glancing down briefly at the torn fabric. He turned and took a step, then froze at the sound of the voice that rose up behind him.

"Don't go…"

He turned back, frowning.

"Look," he said in a low voice, "You want to kill yourself, use someone else."

He turned and left the room, trying to ignore the hard sob that sounded in the room as he closed the door. He turned and stared at the closed door as the shinigami's voice rose into a maddened shriek of pain, then into screams of rage. His face paled and he took a step back as glass shattered inside the room and heavy objects pounded against the walls and door. He sensed Aizen approaching and flash stepped away, turning back for a moment to watch with angry eyes as the sounds from the room suddenly ceased and Aizen Sousuke walked inside, closing the door behind him.

"Poor bastard," he whispered, "maybe I should have killed him…"

Sighing and snarling discontentedly, Grimmjow walked away.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did you enjoy it, Byakuya?" Aizen's voice asked quietly, shattering the stillness that had fixed itself in the noble's mind.

Byakuya knelt in the middle of the decimated room, naked, and with bloodied hands and arms. Aizen walked around him and stood over him, looking down at the tangled black hair, the torn skin and tearstained face. The noble stared straight ahead, choking back silent sobs and shivering uncontrollably.

"Is this because you couldn't go through with it?" Aizen asked, reaching down to touch his hair lightly, "Or is it because you went through with it…and now you're hating yourself for it?"

He waited silently for a long moment, then sighed and pulled the cloak from around his shoulders and draped it around the distraught shinigami. Byakuya flinched as the cloak settled around him, then quieted and stared blankly as Aizen dropped to his knees in front of him and took his hands. He studied the wounds for a moment, then sent soft pulses of healing energy through them. Byakuya continued to stare blankly ahead, through half-lidded eyes as his injuries slowly disappeared and the pale flesh was made unblemished again.

"Why?" Byakuya whispered, so softly that Aizen almost missed it.

He turned and met the dark, tormented eyes curiously.

"Why did you have to kill them?"

"I told you why," Aizen answered softly, "Your father stumbled upon one of my early, failed experiments. I could not afford to have him interfere."

"I saw things that I shouldn't have as well," Byakuya went on, "but you didn't kill me."

Aizen nodded.

"You…were useful. And, I wagered, I had taken enough from you already."

Byakuya shook his head in disbelief.

"Sousuke, you've never stopped taking things from me…never…"

"And you hate me for that."

"For that and more," Byakuya whispered, "I hate you for making me wake up every day since they died, knowing I didn't have them in my life anymore. I hate you for taking away my memories of what I witnessed as a teen. I hate you for staying close to me as I grew into adulthood, offering yourself as a friend and mentor, while plotting to get me into your bed. I hate you for ever putting your hands on me, for poisoning my heart with each and every touch you placed on me. I hate you for being the first to make love to me, for being the first I dared to love, for encouraging me to break the rules to share a bed with you. I hate you for making me believe that my heart was safe with you, then shattering it to pieces when I had never done anything but love you. And I hate you for murdering Hisana…the only true friend I've ever had."

Aizen's brow furrowed.

"Friend?" he asked in a curious tone, "Hisana was your wife."

"In name only," Byakuya whispered white-faced, "because she befriended me after you destroyed me…and I was afraid to leave her behind in Inuzuri. So we made an agreement. I agreed to marry her and to take her away from Inuzuri and she agreed to stay with me…to stay between me and anyone I might ever be tempted to fall in love with. I couldn't afford to fall in love again. I knew there would be nothing left of me if I was hurt again as you hurt me. It wasn't until I sat beside her, watching her slowly die, that I realized that although it wasn't romantic love, it was love of another kind. And the agony was no different than if I had loved her from the beginning. And now I know…you took her too…poison, right?"

Aizen gazed at him silently.

"I don't know how you got it past Unohana taicho. I wouldn't have thought anyone could, but you found a way, didn't you? And I remember how you tried to offer comfort, but I know now that it was only so you could remain close by to watch me suffer. But now you've decided that you want me to just forget the past, forget that you murdered the people I treasured the most…and to return to you. How can you have the audacity to even think of asking me to do that?"

Aizen moved closer and wrapped an arm around the noble's shoulders.

"I never intended to hurt you at all," he said, resting his head against Byakuya's, "But having done so, I thought that I could be the one to take that pain away. That's why I didn't kill you that night on the trail…why I stayed close to you and eventually brought you to my bed. It's why I still think that we should stay together. Of all people, I may have taken the most from you, but I am the only one who can ease that pain…and I want to begin to show you how…if you will let me. Will you do that? Will you let me undo some of the awful damage I've caused? Will you allow me to make you smile again, to make you laugh, to make you forget the awful pain? I have the power, Bya."

Byakuya's eyes met his wearily.

"I can never turn to you for anything, Sousuke," he said in a choked voice, "All you have to offer me are lies and illusions…nothing of substance…"

Aizen stood and looked down at him for several long minutes. Then he bent and lifted Byakuya carefully into his arms. The noble's head dropped onto his shoulder and the dark eyes grew dazed. He remained silent as the hallways appeared and passed by. He closed his eyes and let the soft motion carry him towards sleep. He felt a change in the motion and realized that they were, once again, ascending the stairs to the atrium room. He struggled then against the arms that held him, tears coming to his eyes again.

"Stop!" he yelled, twisting in the other's arms, "I'm not going to do this! Why are you doing this? You said you weren't trying to hurt me!"

Aizen pushed him into the atrium room and forced the door closed between them.

"I don't want to hurt you," Aizen explained in a calm voice, "but you tried to hurt me…and because I am restricted by the charms from causing physical damage, I am limited in my options for punishments. Perhaps some time using your father's gift will cure you of your rebelliousness."

Without another word, he flash stepped away.

Byakuya remained pressed against the atrium door, not daring to turn and look into the room behind him. But the image rose up in his mind again and he felt his palms warm and begin to pulsate with life.

"No…" he whispered, trying not to feel the rich soil appearing, the tender blades of grass rising out of it. He tried to block out the rich, sweet smells of flowers and sakura petals. He shut his eyes tightly and tried to pretend that if he turned and looked into the room, that it would be as lifeless and unfinished as it had been before. But as the hours passed and the scents and emotions grew stronger, he found he lost all urge to resist. Finally, his body could take no more and peeled itself away from the door. He turned into the room, staring at the image come to life, aching inside at the beauty of it. It was the one thing he had left of his father and he had to admit…it was the most beautiful gift. But it was wrong seeing it used like this. He longed to tear it apart bit by bit, but knew that it would just restore itself over and over. There was no choice but to look closely and feel the pain that had wedged itself in his heart.

"I'm sorry, Father," he whispered, dropping to his knees beneath a sakura tree, "I didn't want to give this to him, but he left me with no choice…I'm sorry…"

His words froze in his throat as he became aware of someone standing in front of him. It was an illusion, of course. His beleaguered mind understood that, even though the image of him was, in every other way, perfect.

"Byakuya," said the soft, gentle voice of Kuchiki Soujun, "What have you done that you need to feel sorry for?"

He knew it wasn't real…

And that he was being watched…

And that it would eventually disappear…

But having nothing left to anchor him, he wrapped his arms around the illusion of his father and took what comfort he could find.


	7. Senseless

**Chapter 7: Senseless**

"Ichigo is right," Kisuke said firmly, "There is no way in hell that one guy is going to infiltrate Hueco Mundo, storm Las Noches, grab the captive taicho from the enemy's teeth and come back with all of his body parts intact…Sorry, it's just not happening."

"Well," said Renji, "at very least, I am sure that no one with less than a bankai is going."

Rikichi lowered his eyes.

"I understand what you are saying, Abarai fukutaicho," the youth said respectfully, "but you should understand my need to help my taicho. I feel it is my duty. And if Kuchiki taicho was going on a mission, you would insist on someone going to watch his back. Now he is a captive and you are wanting to go and rescue him…but Renji, you need someone to watch your back, too."

"That's why I'm going," said Ichigo.

"I _am_ going with you, Renji," Rikichi said, his voice shaking slightly, "I know I'm not as strong as you, but I am every bit as devoted to saving Kuchiki taicho. I am a shinigami…and it's my job to protect the other members of my squad and to remain loyal to my taicho."

He lifted his eyes and Renji caught his breath at the expression he saw there. He felt the soft clutch of memory, thinking back to the fact that he, himself had done what this youth wanted, _no…needed_ to do…to reach beyond what everyone thought he could do, to protect someone he cared about…to be allowed to grow. And though the price could very well be death, chances had to be taken for that growth to happen.

But so much hung upon this mission…

"I think you should let him go with you," said a soft, feminine voice.

All heads turned as Yoruichi entered the room. Rikichi's mouth dropped open in surprise and the others stared.

"Don't look so shocked," she reprimanded them, "I think the boy will be useful. And he certainly is resolved to help Byakuya. Besides, I will go along...and I will make sure he comes back in one piece."

XXXXXXXXXX

The door to the atrium opened and Aizen Sousuke stepped inside, looking around for his captive ex-lover. His eyes widened in surprise and awe as he beheld for the first time, the full beauty of the new garden that Byakuya had brought to life within it. Climbing vine danced around the walls in delicate patterns and varied shades of light and darker green. The air was fresh with the deep, lovely scent of the grass and soil. Expanses of green intermingled with intricate clusters of flowering plants, bushes and trees. Swirls of color spun everywhere, drawing the eye and captivating. Water gurgled merrily in the brook that meandered through the room and blue water cascaded down into the bathing pool from the large waterfall.

Aizen stood in silence, wondering once more at the beautiful gift his former lover possessed. He smiled as he imagined the two of them walking side by side along the trails, breathing the air freshened by the life Byakuya had brought to the room. The smile deepened as he dreamed of making love with Byakuya under the lazy, splashing waterfall, then reclining in the soaking pools and exchanging slow, passionate kisses.

It would, of course, require that he help the noble to forget the unforgiven things of the past…not an easy task. But he was determined that they would move beyond the problems that plagued them…even if he was required to take drastic action to make it all happen.

He had been considering, through the long night…as he had watched Byakuya fall into the arms of the illusion of his father, crying and clinging like a child. He was too tormented and needed to be relieved of his pain. And Aizen Sousuke had the power to take the harsh memory away. His normal powers, of course, had not been able to hold the mental block for long enough, as had been proven by Byakuya's tendency to break through those illusions when they were together in the Seireitei…but with the employing of the bands and charms Gin had helped him to make, it was foreseeable that Byakuya would leave the past behind him and embrace his love for Aizen once more.

He walked forward slowly, surrounded by the blaze of bright hues and touched with the light, scented breezes, his eyes scanning the room carefully until they fell upon a curled male form that rested in the arms of the illusion of Kuchiki Soujun. The elder shinigami's

eyes met his for a long moment, then he slowly faded, leaving the deeply sleeping form of his orphaned son alone beneath the sakura tree.

He closed the distance on silent feet, marveling at how beautiful his former lover looked, sleeping, wrapped in his white cloak with his face resting on his arms. As he reached Byakuya, he knelt next to the noble, then reached out and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. The dark, lovely eyes opened and rose to meet his.

Aizen felt a bolt of coldness pass through him at the sight of them. He had expected them to contain some remaining tears, of course. Byakuya had not endured the making of the atrium gardens well at all. Still, though he expected to see the signs of his beaten down spirits, he hadn't thought that the dark eyes would be so empty…so desolate…so very lost. Though awake, he might as well have been sleeping, for all of the lucidity in his expression.

"Byakuya?" he said, touching his face lightly.

The noble continued to look senselessly into his eyes and said nothing. He took the noble's hands and pulled him to his feet. Byakuya stood, with downcast eyes, his expression unchanged. Aizen placed both hands on his face and raised the dark gray eyes to meet his again.

"Byakuya, I need you to let me know that you hear me."

The noble stared blankly ahead of him. Aizen slipped an arm around Byakuya and led him out of the room.

"You are likely overly tired from your efforts making the atrium gardens grow. That is all this is. You simply need rest. That is all."

They came to Aizen's bedroom and he opened the door and led Byakuya inside, then removed his clothing and dressed him in a dark red yukata. He smiled and ran a brush through the noble's thick, black hair.

"That looks much better. Now, why don't you get into bed? I will have tea brought and send my healer in to see you. Perhaps he can help to ease your melancholy."

He started towards the door, but stopped when he realized that Byakuya still stood, rooted to the spot where Aizen had left him. The leader of the hollows furrowed his brow and returned to the bed, sighing in annoyance and pulling back the blankets, then guiding Byakuya to the bed. He climbed into the bed and leaned back against the pillows, still staring straight ahead with that blank expression. Frowning, Aizen left to find the healer. Left alone, Byakuya climbed out of bed and moved to the large bench seat by the bay window and sat down, resting his face and body against the glass and closing his eyes. When Aizen returned with the healer, they found him still leaned there, and fast asleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rikichi stood quietly near the others, waiting for the signal that meant it would be time to leave. He was still stymied over what exactly had led Yoruichi to support his decision to go on the mission. He knew that his shikai wasn't terribly strong. His kido skills were much better and his tracking abilities were excellent. Still…the others going were far stronger…

And he was depressed at the thought that they worried he would distract them from their mission…that he would get into trouble and need rescuing…that he might cause the mission to fail. It hurt him deeply to admit to himself that they might just be right. But something inside him told him he should go. First of all, Renji was going…and he would be facing a lot of dangers in Hueco Mundo. He was Rikichi's fellow squad member and his idol. If Renji was to put himself in harm's way, Rikichi wanted to be there to help keep him safe…and where Renji was still healing from his battle with Byakuya, Rikichi was at full strength. And both his tracking and healing abilities were even better than Renji's…so he could be of some use to them. Yes, there was logic that supported his decision. But he had to admit it was an emotional decision too. He wanted badly to be stronger. And he wouldn't get stronger unless he went out and proved himself.

"Are you wondering why I told them to let you join the mission?" Yoruichi's voice said suddenly, startling him.

Rikichi sighed and said nothing, but nodded. Yoruichi lifted his chin so that he met her eyes directly.

"I'll be honest with you," she said, quietly enough so that only he would hear, "I'm not exactly sure what made me do it…just as you're probably not so sure what made you want to go so badly. But my instincts are telling me to send you, and I tend to trust my instincts about people. That said, I want to warn you to listen carefully and obey the orders you are given. But also…you must not be afraid to voice your opinion when you have one. Whatever anyone says, from here on in, you are a part of this rescue mission and you must use everything you have to assist in the recovery of Kuchiki Byakuya."

Rikichi nodded.

"I promise…I will."

Yoruichi smiled.

"Then I believe everything will work itself out. Come on, Rikichi, it's time to go."

She turned and followed the others to the garganta. Kisuke gave the group a few, last minute instructions and all of them donned cloaks for their trip through the desert. One by one, they stepped into the garganta and passed over into the dark, cold sands of Hueco Mundo.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So," said Aizen, watching as his healer led Byakuya back to bed and slowly examined him, "have you found the source of his melancholy? He seems quite depressed."

The healer's eyes narrowed.

"Aizen-sama, there is much more afflicting him than mere depression. You must have suspected this…"

"What do you mean?" Aizen asked, frowning, "He was not like this yesterday. He was handling his captivity here quite well, as a matter of fact. What is wrong with him then?"

The healer shook his head.

"This man has withdrawn and is barely even cognizant of where he is. Aizen-sama, he is teetering on the edge of a complete mental collapse."

The healer stared at him for a moment.

"What in kami's name did you do to him?" he asked, looking back at the silent shinigami, "He is alive and breathing, but he has completely lost touch with reality."

Aizen looked at the healer with a confused expression.

"I haven't done anything to him. I did seal away his spirit energy and took steps to make sure he would not escape, but no one has laid a finger on him. He has neither been tortured or assaulted. He is a captive, but the conditions have been exceedingly humane."

The healer's eyes blinked slowly.

"It is possible to torture a person into the state without using physical means, Aizen-sama. Has he been showing signs of emotional distress?"

"He was angry and frustrated at being captured…but he didn't seem terribly distressed until I was forced to punish him for defying me."

"And how did you punish him, if not through torture?" the healer asked.

"He has an ability to make things grow…to envision beautiful living gardens and to call them into being. It is something inherited from his late father. I forced him to use this gift to make a garden in the atrium."

The healer frowned in surprise.

"I must be missing something," he mused, "Certainly, the fact that he inherited this from his dead father would be painful, but…Aizen-sama, there must be more to what happened than what you have told me. Tell me, what is your personal history with this man?"

The healer stared in disbelief as Aizen Sousuke revealed the requested history. He was silent for some time after the leader of the hollows finished explaining, leaning over the noble and searching his eyes for some sign of the person submerged within.

"So," Aizen said softly, "can you heal him?"

"If what you just told me is all true," the healer said quietly, "then you should get used to him being like this…and worse. If he does not emerge from this state, he will weaken slowly and die."

"But how can that be?" Aizen asked, furrowing his brow, "I didn't _do_ anything to him!"

The healer sighed.

"If you truly believe that," he said, gazing at Byakuya sympathetically, "then he hasn't a chance of survival. He is going to die."

Aizen stared at the healer, then at Byakuya. Then he drew his zanpakuto and calmly ran the healer through. The healer gave a soft, surprised gasp and dropped to the floor. Aizen ignored him and sat down on the bed next to the noble.

"He doesn't know anything," Aizen whispered to the silent noble, "and we don't have to listen to him anymore. We will find someone who can help you. You will be fine. Just close your eyes and rest for now. I will be back."

He rose and quietly stepped over the body of the healer and out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him. Inside the room, Byakuya climbed out of the bed and returned to the window seat, where he remained, staring out at the desert as the door opened and the healer's body was taken away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Grimmjow stepped out of his room and started down the hallway, but paused as the guards carried the healer's body out of Aizen's bedroom. He sighed softly and shook his head in disgust, then started past the room. As he passed the still open door, he glanced inside and caught sight of Byakuya sitting by the window. Looking around and seeing no one nearby and that the guards were distracted by the removal of the healer, he slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. He walked to the window seat and sat down next to Byakuya, surprise registering on his face as he took in the noble's blank expression.

"Shit," he muttered, "He's one fucking piece of work, that's for sure."

His eyes followed Byakuya's to the windblown sands outside the window.

"He found your weak spot. You don't have many, do you? But you were fucked as soon as you met him…as soon as he decided he wanted you."

He sighed.

"Been there…and done that…and I'm probably only slightly less damaged than you are. The shinigamis think that we're the heartless ones, but they're fooling themselves. This bastard never had a heart to begin with…and all he knows is how to destroy them. And the most disgusting thing is…he enjoys it. He loves playing with people's minds, fucking with them…taking them apart. And then, he has the nerve to stand back and look surprised at the damage. Sometimes, he even manages to look sorry. But you aren't fooled by that. I see it. You know what a bastard he is…and if there was a way out of this place, you would have found it. But let me clue you in…no one who he goes after makes out unscathed. Everywhere he goes, he leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. I despise him. I would kill him if I could…but he has me where he wants me and knows I won't cross him. I don't want to die that badly. And there's the place where you and I differ. Because, if you regained your mind for a second…and realized the situation you were in…then you wouldn't be like you are. You would be smart and strong enough to just kill yourself and get it over with."

The Espada's eyes dropped for a moment, then he heaved a sigh and stood, lowering a hand to rest it on the noble's shoulder for a moment.

"Good luck," he said quietly, "not that I give a damn, but maybe you'll get lucky and find a way out of this hell. If you do, good riddance, but if you don't…"

He left the comment hanging and released Byakuya's shoulder. He had just put his hand on the doorknob when the noble's voice rose up behind him.

"Help me," Byakuya said, in a deeply calm tone, "There is a way out of here. Help me find it."

He looked back in surprise.

"No," he said firmly, "I told you. I don't want to die that badly."

He turned to leave and nearly collided with Aizen Sousuke. The leader of the hollows stopped and gazed at him, no hint of emotion in his eyes…just dead calm. Grimmjow caught his breath and stared.

"Why are you here, Grimmjow?" Aizen asked calmly.

The Espada swallowed hard.

"I saw the healer being carried out and heard something in the room. I was curious…" he said, forcing himself to meet the other's eyes directly.

"Hmmm…curiosity," Aizen said, letting a smile creep onto his face, "Well, now that your 'curiosity' has been satisfied, perhaps you should leave."

"Yeah…right…" the Espada said, starting for the door.

He was stopped one step later by a warm hand that wrapped around his wrist and a quiet voice in his ear.

"Tell me something. Did you enjoy it?"

"Did I enjoy…what?" asked the Espada.

"Kissing him…" Aizen hissed in his ear, "putting your hands on him…fucking him?"

"I didn't…"

"I should kill you…" Aizen whispered, his hand dropping to his blade.

There was a sharp click as he loosed it.

"Sousuke?" Byakuya said softly.

Aizen released Grimmjow and turned.

"Byakuya?"

He left the Espada standing in the doorway and sat down next to the noble. Grimmjow disappeared quickly out the door. Aizen studied the still dazed-looking gray eyes and smiled gently.

"You look better," he said, leaning forward to kiss Byakuya, "I knew that the healer was mistaken. You were merely feeling melancholy. I am sure you will be fine now. Can I bring you something?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"I am not feeling well. If it's not too much to ask, I would like to return to the atrium."

Aizen frowned.

"But when you were there last time…it seemed to wear too much on your spirits…" he objected.

"Yes," agreed the noble, "but I think I need the fresh air. This place is so dead…so lifeless. It makes me feel like I can't breathe."

"Then, come," said Aizen, taking his hand, "We can go and walk in the gardens together."

Byakuya quietly accepted the other's hand and followed him out the door.


	8. The Escape

**Chapter 8: The Escape**

"Are you sensing Byakuya's spiritual pressure, Rickichi?" asked Renji, "because even though we're pretty close, I'm still not picking up on it."

"Well," said Ichigo, "you probably wouldn't sense it if he was in the same room as you…unless he hit you with it."

"Shut up!" yelled Renji, "It isn't like your reiatsu sensing is any better than mine!"

"Yeah," said Ichigo, "but at least I can admit it to myself! You always try to cover it up."

"Knock it off!" growled Renji, "Or I'll…"

"Both of you stop!" Yoruichi said in an annoyed tone, "or you're going to announce to Aizen Sousuke that we are here and we'll never get the chance to save Byakuya."

She turned to Rickichi.

"What do you sense in the way of spiritual pressure?"

"He is with Aizen Sosusuke," Rikichi said with certainty, "and they are near the glass dome down there on the right."

Yoruichi nodded and Renji and Ichigo stared. Rikichi laughed nervously.

"Well, I may not be terribly strong, but I would know Kuchiki taicho's spirit energy anywhere, because I am constantly in his presence. And I remembered Aizen taicho's energy pattern from before."

"Damn," Renji said, scratching the back of his neck, "Thanks, Rikichi."

"I think that if we move over towards that cliff," Yoruichi went on, "we will be able to see what's inside that dome. If he is in there, it would probably be the best place to launch an attack, because he will be visible to us and we will know what to expect in the way of resistance. But Rikichi, you will have to be responsible for warning us of any approaching enemies."

Rikichi nodded.

"Come on," Yoruichi said, leading the group toward the distant cliffs.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen stood back, watching as Byakuya entered the atrium. He followed the noble inside, then took up a position alongside him as they started down the flower lined trail that meandered through the room. He couldn't quite contain a smile as he sensed the despair in his former lover's reiatsu. If Byakuya was beginning to crumble, it wouldn't be long before he would be back in Aizen's arms. And that, Aizen thought, smirking, was worth the wait. It had been many years, but he hadn't forgotten what it felt like to bury himself in those slender, lovely arms, to surround himself in the scent of sakura and sink into the sweet pleasure of that perfect mouth. His loins ached at the thought. Yes, he thought, it had been far too long since they had been together.

But he wanted Byakuya to come to him. And that, he knew, was going to take some effort. But he had confidence in the snare he had set for the noble. And now, he decided, it was time to begin cornering him.

"This place is absolutely beautiful, Byakuya," he said softly, "though I know it pained you to create it, you truly do have a unique gift."

Byakuya gave no sign he heard the other, but continued to walk silently at his side. Aizen led him to the sakura tree he had found him sleeping under before and motioned for him to sit. Byakuya knelt solemnly in the shade of the tree, watching the water tumble over the waterfall and into the blue pool beneath it.

Aizen reached for the silver bands at his wrists and touched the charms one by one. Byakuya watched silently, feeling a small pulse of energy as each charm was touched.

"Gin created these, not the sealing bands, but the charms. They really are very interesting in design," he commented, stroking the one that was shaped like a sword, "Each has a special function, both protective and restrictive and, used together as they are, they are a good way of ensuring your safety and mine as we reconnect here. Byakuya, I know that I have upset you terribly, but there is a way that I can heal some of the damage I have done. Right now, Gin is preparing a special chamber. When you enter it, you will find that those things that stand between us, those old memories, will disappear out of your mind for good. I have long searched for a way to overcome the strength of the memories that took you away from me…and now there is finally something strong enough. Gin will call us to the chamber soon and we can place you inside. And when you emerge, there will be only love and pleasantness between us…just as it was before that night."

He leaned forward and kissed the noble lightly on the lips. His hand fell to the sword charm and he gently removed it. He focused for a moment on the silver bands at Byakuya's wrists.

"As a sign of my good intent, I have removed this sword charm and have restored your own defensive powers. You are still incapable of attack, unless I will for you to attack someone, but now you will be able to access your own powers for your protection instead of relying on the sword charm. I know it put stress on you, being around all of these hollows and having none of your own defenses. Now you can provide whatever defenses you wish, on your own. Just a warning, though…in case you are of a mind to try to escape. There is still another among the charms that will make you visible and highly attractive to hollows who sense you if you try to leave the fortress without my permission. Granted, without the sword charm in place, you have powers to protect yourself, but the pull of the charm is very powerful, and eventually, you would be overcome. So…just be aware, you don't have my complete trust yet. But soon, Byakuya, we will be able to trust each other again. And we will have back what we shared before all of this unpleasantness."

"Sousuke," said Gin, suddenly appearing near the waterfall in front of them, "I need you to come to the laboratory for the final examination of the chamber. After that, we can place Byakuya in it and it should do as you suggested."

"Good," said Aizen, squeezing Byakuya's hands and gazing into the solemn, gray eyes, "but we'll test it one more time before we use it on him. I want to be sure that he will not be damaged. I have waited too long for this reunion for it to be ruined now."

"Don't worry," said Gin, smiling slyly, "the chamber will work. By nightfall, you and your lover will be all wound around each other again."

Aizen nodded in approval and rose.

"I will return when we are ready for you," he said, with a last look down at the noble's bowed head.

Byakuya sat where he was, still and silent as the others left the atrium.

_What in kami's name am I going to do now?_

He sensed that someone was watching him and spotted Grimmjow a few feet away. He said nothing as the Espada moved closer and sat down next to him.

"Tell me something," he said quietly, "are you really as overwhelmed as he thinks you are…or are you holding out hope?"

Byakuya did not move or speak.

"The reason I ask is because I know something that he doesn't," Grimmjow went on, "There are several shinigamis watching the fortress. I think, unless I miss my guess, that they just might be here for you."

The Espada caught his breath as Byakuya's eyes lifted to meet his.

"So you are in there," the Espada mused, "You had me going there for a minute. I thought he'd really fried your brain or something."

"Not that you care, of course," Byakuya said softly, allowing himself a smirk.

"Hell no, I don't care…but I don't like what he's doing."

Byakuya blinked.

"I thought you said that you couldn't help me, because you didn't want to die that badly."

Grimmjow smiled.

"Who said I'm helping? All I did was tell you what I saw."

"Yes, you told me, and not your master," Byakuya said quietly.

Grimmjow shrugged.

"I wasn't the only hollow patrolling. If the others missed sensing the shinigamis, it's their problem. And anyway, it's not like getting out of here is the end of your problems, you know. You still have to get yourself out of these," he said, indicating the bands and charms.

"Can you remove them?" Byakuya asked.

"No," said Grimmjow, "only the one you are bound to can remove them. There are rules that control the way they work. But you will discover that. And if you are smart, you will get free. Just…like I said, watch out for the moon charm. It's the trickiest one. I don't think Aizen realizes just how tricky it is. But then, the charms were created by Gin. Remember that."

XXXXXXXXXX

"He's there!" Rikichi said excitedly, "Kuchiki taicho is in the domed area. There is someone with him, probably a guard. The reiatsu isn't Aizen's. It's a hollow."

"So what do we do?" Ichigo asked Yoruichi, "Just blast the glass and have Zabimaru grab Byakuya?"

Yoruichi rolled her eyes.

"You really think that Aizen Sosuuke is stupid or careless enough to make it that easy for us? We need to get someone in closer…to see what the trick here is."

The four stood in silence for a moment. Then, Rikichi brightened.

"My eagle shikai can be made very small…small enough to fly in closer and allow me to see more."

"Good," Yoruichi said, "send it over there."

Rikichi released his zanpakuto and the group watched as the eagle shrank down to sparrow size. He sent the tiny eagle speeding across the desert and waited as it drew close to the dome and began to turn this way and that, providing images that flashed in Rikichi's mind.

"The dome is very strong. It has been fortified against attacks. I don't think that even a bankai could penetrate it."

"Great," muttered Renji, "There goes our plan…"

"Wait…" Rikichi went on, "I don't sense any weak spots, but there is an opening at the top…a vent of some kind. I'll see if I can…oh no!"

"What is it?" Yoruichi said quickly.

"My eagle is stuck in the vent!"

Ichigo stifled a laugh and Rikichi flushed.

"Hey," said Renji, seeing Rikichi's embarrassment, "happens to everyone."

"Can you work it loose?" asked Yoruichi.

"I think so," Rickichi said, focusing harder, "Maybe if I make it smaller…"

He focused harder, his brow furrowing deeply.

"You know, he doesn't have to go to the trouble," Ichigo said, "he could just…"

"It's free," Rikichi said, looking triumphant, then even more embarrassed.

"What is it?" Renji asked, sighing.

"I got it free, but now it's inside the dome."

"Great," chuckled Ichigo, "Nicely done…"

"Wait," said Yoruichi, "Can you take any readings from inside?"

"Rikichi shrugged.

"I think so."

He concentrated heavily.

"It seems like the structure of the glass inside is different…probably because it wasn't shielded from that direction. After all, why would anyone try to attack it from inside?"

Renji's eyes widened.

"Rikichi, how big does that eagle shikai get?" he asked.

"Pretty big," the youth said, "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Grow it and attack the glass of the dome from the other side. If you can weaken it enough, then Ichigo can blast it from the outside and finish it off. Then, I can send Zabimaru in to save Taicho."

Yoruichi nodded.

"It does sound like the best possible plan," she said, gazing at Rikichi, "Any time you're ready then."

"Come on, kid," said Renji, "You said you wanted to help. Now, let's get our taicho out of there!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya and Grimmjow looked up as the tiny bird fluttered in through the vent at the top of the dome. Byakuya's brow furrowed.

"I wasn't aware birds that weren't hollows were able to live here…" he commented.

They looked closer. Grimmjow chuckled.

"Well," he said, gazing at the tiny creature, "That's either not a real bird or it's the smallest damned eagle I've ever seen."

"Eagle…" Byakuya repeated, staring in disbelief, "R-rikichi?"

The two caught their breath as the eagle hovered in the air at the top of the dome and started to grow. Grimmjow burst into laughter.

"What the fuck is that idiot trying to do? He can't…"

"It's a good idea," Byakuya observed, "but it isn't going to be strong enough."

His eyes met Grimmjow's meaningfully. The Espada scowled.

"You crazy fuck! You don't really expect me to…"

He stopped, staring as the eagle began to glow red.

"Aww, shit," he muttered, lifting a hand, "Well…I can't just stand by and let an enemy attack. I guess I have no choice, but to destroy it. Of course…it might just damage the dome…"

He raised a hand and fired a cero at the eagle, catching it in midair. The eagle glowed white and exploded as the cero reached it. The two forces combined and the thick glass dome shattered from the inside. Grimmjow winked at Byakuya.

"I'm getting outta here, if you don't mind," he said, turning away, "Good luck, shinigami."

"But what about these?" Byakuya said, holding up his wrists, "Won't the hollows just surround us anywhere we go, once we leave?"

Grimmjow looked back at him and laughed.

"I think I'll leave that to you and your rescuer to figure out!" he said, flash stepping away.

Byakuya stared up at the damaged dome as alarms began to shriek all around him. He heard footsteps running in his direction and stood, watching as light flared around the top of the dome and a blast shook it, breaking a large hole in it. A smile came to his lips as he heard the scream of the skeletal snake. It burst through the opening and soared down, gathering him in its teeth and carrying him into the air. He felt the ground fall away and turned his head slightly to look back as Aizen Sousuke flash stepped into the room, his eyes blazing with fury. Byakuya met the eyes of his ex-lover triumphantly, then turned away as the skeletal snake soared out of the domed room and across the desert. It came down gently and slid to a stop, depositing him safely on the ground in front of Yoruichi, Ichigo, Renji and Rikichi. He suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was barefoot, his hair was unbound, and he was rather scantily clad in the yukata Aizen had dressed him in. But before the embarrassment could make the blush rise onto his skin, a thought occurred to him.

I'm out of the fortress and beyond the range of the protection. Why aren't the hollows attacking me?

In the back of his mind, he heard Grimmjow's laughter.

"I think I'll leave that to you and your rescuer to figure out!"


	9. Charmed

**Chapter 9: Charmed**

"Well, I don't know about you guys," said Ichigo, "but in a few short minute, this area will be flooded with hollows, so if it's not too much to ask, I'm all for getting the hell outta this place!"

Byakuya saw that all eyes were on him…and that one set of eyes was looking at him with almost painful intensity. He felt a blush rise on his skin at the thought of how he must look.

"Taicho, have you been…hurt…in any way?" Renji asked.

"I am fine," Byakuya said, suddenly feeling exposed and uncertain, "I was not injured."

"That's good to hear," said Yoruichi, "but that being said, we need to get out of here."

"Taicho…please tell me you have use of your flash step, because you're gonna need it!" Renji said, motioning to the forces beginning to head in their direction.

"Back to the garganta!" Yoruichi shouted turning.

Byakuya was surprised to find that he was able to flash step along with them. He moved up alongside Yoruichi, feeling a sense of comfort at having her close by. She looked over and smiled at him, then quickened her step and moved forward. Not one to pass up such a challenge, he matched her speed, pleased that being without his powers during his time in Las Noches had not slowed him. They were getting a bit ahead of the others, but remained within sight. He was just about to ask her how much farther the garganta was, when all at once, a thick field of hollows began to rise around them. Byakuya was reminded of the way he had been surrounded when he tried running before.

_But before, it happened much closer to the fortress…Why is this happening now._

He flash stepped away from Yoruichi to gain fighting distance and raised his defensive shielding. He heard the shouts of the others trying to reach him, felt the hot exchanges of kido fire and cero. The hollows closest to him swept down and surrounded him, attacking his shielding as a group. His shielding persisted through several attacks, but began to fail as the hollows attacked repeatedly. And strangely, it seemed that although the others were attacking the hollows, they seemed to be focusing all of their energy on reaching him.

His shield shattered and bony claws took hold of him and dragged him down onto the sand. He fought them, of course, but had no way of breaking free. He was left to defend himself as best he could and wait for the rending of flesh to begin. The light yukata tore and he expected to feel the sting of injury, but to his surprise, the claws simply ripped away his clothing, then held him down on the sand.

He laid, naked and defenseless on the cold sand, hearing the sounds of the others moving closer, but wondering if they would reach him in time. Large hollows formed a ring around him and several stepped forward, glaring down at him with malevolent eyes.

"If you're going to kill me, then have done with it," he said, as calmly as he could manage.

The hollows laughed and moved closer, settling down around him and gripping his body tightly…holding him in place as yet more hollows joined them. It was then that he noticed that they hadn't said a word to him…and that their eyes seemed hazed and affected, as though they were somehow being controlled. A hollow moved forward, dropping down and running its clawed hands over the exposed flesh of his chest and stomach. It was then that he realized just which charm had affected them.

_The silver sakura charm protects you from being taken by force. No one, not even I, will be able to take advantage of you sexually…without your permission to do so."_

_"If you plan on me giving you my permission, think again!" Byakuya snapped._

_Aizen smiled._

"A warning, however…if you leave the fortress without me, every hollow within a hundred miles of you will sense your presence and come after you. They will be free to take whatever actions they will…"

Byakuya gasped and struggled wildly as his thighs were forced apart and one of the hollows dropped down on top of him. He felt fingers touch him with extreme intimacy as the creature moved into position to take him. He was too stunned to even cry out. Fanged mouths fastened all over on his body and the hollow on top of him growled and dropped down, claiming his mouth, roughly. Finally, he found his voice and managed a strangled scream that was mostly absorbed by the hollow's mouth.

"You taste heavenly, shinigami," a deep, hateful voice whispered in his ear, nipping at him hungrily.

He heard laughter and the hollow atop him, lifted itself slightly and began to press its hips forward. And with his mouth freed, Byakuya was suddenly able to scream.

He couldn't see anything but a sea of hollows around him…could hear nothing but their growls and snarls. A sudden light rose around them, bringing their twisted features into full resolve and sending him from stunned shock into blinding terror. It was something he had never experienced, something that reached down inside and gripped him at the very heart. The screams weren't coming from his lungs anymore. They came from the place where even emotion and reason were cast aside and everything gave way to basic, primal fear. He sank down into that safe, removed place to protect himself and his body went limp and unresisting. Everything around him became calm and silent.

His eyes remained opened and registered the light over him. With the light that had risen above him came flashes of power. The hollows in the air over him were suddenly incinerated in a blast of red fire…and through the deep silence, he heard the distant screech of the skeletal snake. It passed within a foot of his body, ripping through the hollows and throwing them in all directions. Another cry rose up and it registered that someone was screaming his name in desperation. More flashes of light sent the remaining hollows pelting away from him. He could hear the sound of footsteps on the sand, but his body refused to move.

A familiar face came close and a cloak settled over him, then he was lifted into someone's arms. His head settled against a warm shoulder, and he burrowed into it, seeking the familiar scent it held. He closed his eyes and looped his arms around the other, loosing a soft sigh of gratitude and relief as the one who carried him said something he couldn't understand and flash stepped away with him. He sensed the others around him and was grateful for their presence as well, but none was so welcome as the one whose arms held him, the one who's worried eyes he felt touching him, the one whose voice sounded so gently in his ears, telling him that they were nearly to safety. He trusted this person with everything. And because of that, he relaxed in those safe arms and let sleep overtake him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji watched with furious eyes as Kisuke leaned over Byakuya, peeling back the blood spattered cloak and carefully examining him. He bit his tongue, trying to let the shopkeeper perform the task undisturbed, but found his anger at the situation boiling over.

"Hey," said Ichigo, placing a hand on Renji's shoulder, "I'm sure he'll be all right, now. We got him back. Just…try to take it easy, okay?"

Not trusting his voice, Renji simply nodded. He sincerely tried to turn his eyes away, but found them always returning to the silent, still form that lay on the bed in front of Kisuke. Tessai moved around to the far side of the bed and slowly began to heal the abrasions and bites that marked the noble's pale skin. His reiatsu flaring hotly, Renji moved closer, unable to contain himself anymore.

"Kisuke," he said in a low voice, "can you tell if they…if he was…"

He couldn't even finish the sentence. Kisuke glanced up at him for a moment.

"You got to him in time," he said quietly, then he returned his attention to Byakuya and Renji forced himself to move away, sit down and wait quietly. He sensed someone else taking up a seat beside him.

"Renji," Rikichi's trembling voice said softly, "Is Kuchiki taicho going to be okay?"

Renji sighed.

"Yeah, kid, Taicho will be fine."

He felt Rikichi's eyes still looking at him.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, turning his head to look at Byakuya.

"Sure," Renji muttered, only half hearing.

"Renji, why did the hollows do that? I've seen hollow attacks tons of times before, but they never tried to…"

Rikichi lowered his eyes.

"They never…did _that_. Why did they do that?"

Renji shook his head.

"I don't know, Rikichi. I never saw them do anything like that either. All I can think of is that it was some kind of enchantment Aizen placed on him or something…but why would anyone do that? I can understand an enemy sending forces to recapture or kill him, but…"

He shook his head again.

"I don't know why the hell they did that. It doesn't make a lot of sense."

He glanced at Rikichi and saw him shiver. He noticed Renji's gaze and tried to calm his body.

"I never saw Kuchiki taicho look like that before. He's always so calm. Even when Ichigo beat him up so badly, he remained so calm…"

"Yeah…well, what they tried to do to him would have scared the shit out of anyone. He may be made of ice on the outside, but stuff like that slices through what's on the outside."

Rikichi nodded and went silent.

"Okay," said Urahara, "he seems to be all right now."

Renji, Ichigo, Yoruichi and Rikichi surrounded the bed, gazing down at the unconscious shinigami.

"He seemed to have only minor bites and abrasions and it appears you reached him before he was sexually assaulted. I don't know why the hollows acted that way, but I have a suspicion. Tell me, did the hollows try to do this to the rest of you?" Urahara asked.

"No," Yoruichi said firmly, "As a matter of fact, it was like they didn't care that we were there. They all went after him."

"They didn't fight back," Ichigo reported, "not at all."

Rikichi nodded.

"It's like they said. The hollows seemed to focus only on Kuchiki taicho."

Urahara nodded.

"Well, I kind of suspected…especially after seeing Byakuya's new accessories."

He lifted Byakuya's hands, turning them to show the others the slim silver bands and the three charms.

"These silver bracelets aren't just for show. They seal his spirit energy away. But they are affected by the charms somehow. There's room here for four charms, but one has been removed."

"Wait," said Renji, frowning, "I saw him use his flash step…and his shielding. How is that possible with his power sealed away?"

"Apparently, one of these charms has allowed him defensive powers, but none for attack. If he had been able to attack, I think he would have, so I'm led to believe he can't attack…just block, shield and flash step."

"That seems to match with what we all saw," confirmed Yoruichi.

"When he wakes up and can move around, I'll analyze these charms a bit more closely, but because of the hollow attack, we'll need to raise some additional defensive shielding around the shop…at least as long as he's here. And one of you is to remain with him at all times. Ichigo, you and Yoruichi will take the first watch. Renji, I want you to stay with him. The rest of us will sleep. It looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya slowly surfaced from his reverie and found himself, naked and buried deeply in blankets. He sensed that he was in the living world, but wasn't sure exactly where. He felt the warm, safe presence he had felt before and turned his head.

"Renji," he said, testing his voice.

"I'm here, Taicho," the redhead replied, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"You don't look fine, Taicho," Renji observed, "Despite the fact that they healed the wounds, you don't look 'fine' at all."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked guardedly.

Renji met his eyes intently.

"What I mean is that what's wrong with you is not physical. What's wrong with you is in your head…and it's been like that ever since that day at Sokyoku Hill."

"I don't understand," Byakuya said quietly.

"Yeah?" said Renji, "Well neither do I. You see, because I watched you very, very closely."

"I am aware of that," the noble said flatly, "You made yourself clear when we fought, Renji."

Byakuya felt a twinge of something inside.

And yet, when I was attacked by the hollows, all I wanted was to feel his closeness…

Renji met his eyes squarely.

"You would think that one as devoted to knowing all there was to know about your strengths and weaknesses…about your powers, would know what made you go to Aizen that night. I had to think for a long time…and I had to depend on some other people to fill in the blanks, but…I think I'm getting it now."

Byakuya's eyes darkened.

"Renji, I don't want to talk about this now."

"Well," said the redhead, his reiatsu flaring red around him, "We're going to talk now…while we're alone and no one else can hear."

"And what leads you to believe that there is anything for me to tell? Or for that matter, if there was anything to tell, what makes you think for one minute that I would turn to the likes of you? You admitted to getting close to me for the purpose of learning my strengths and weaknesses. You wanted to be stronger than me, to defeat me. Why would I trust someone who would do that?"

Renji flinched, but was beyond backing down.

"Maybe because I'm the guy who saw you leave for Las Noches like Aizen did…but didn't believe for a moment that you had defected. And I covered for you. You don't know this, but I got Rikichi and myself out of the Seireitei before we could be questioned by the secret mobile corps about what we saw. Why would I do that if all I wanted was to take you down. I certainly could have done so, had I wished, after what I witnessed."

He paused for a moment, gazing at the noble's dark gray eyes.

"I could have turned against you…could have taken everything away from you and I didn't. I decided instead that I wanted to help you."

"I don't need your help," Byakuya said, turning his eyes away abruptly.

"Yeah…sure…bullshit, Taicho. But have it your way…for now. Urahara said you need to sleep. He'll start trying to figure out those bands and charms tomorrow."

"I'm not staying here," Byakuya said, starting to rise, "Give me my clothes."

Renji glared at him.

"Your clothes?" he repeated, "Taicho, you don't have any clothes. Aizen has your clothes…and the ones you were wearing before are lying shredded on the sand in Hueco Mundo."

"Then give me some of yours," Byakuya said coldly, "I am leaving."

"No," said Renji, grabbing his wrist, "You are not. Kisuke said you need to sleep. Now, sleep!"

Byakuya gave him a stunned look as the snake charm glowed and he fell back, losing consciousness almost immediately.


	10. A Little B & D

**Chapter 10: A Little B & D**

"Now, let me see if I have this straight," said Kisuke, trying to suppress a smile, "You say you grabbed his wrist…and he passed out?"

"Yeah," insisted Renji, staring down at his unconscious taicho, "He woke up and was annoyed at finding himself here…"

"…which, apparently, to him, is worse than being kept as Aizen Sousuke's plaything in Las Noches…" joked Kisuke, "Damned typical of him, I'd say…wouldn't you agree, Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi laughed softly in reply.

"He wanted to leave and I told him he needed to rest…and he wouldn't, so I grabbed his wrist and ordered him to sleep, then he passed out…just like that!"

Kisuke leaned over Byakuya, touching the charms one by one and sending small amounts of reiatsu into them. He tilted his head, frowning.

"You touched this wrist?" he asked, holding up the one that bore the snake charm.

"Yeah, I think so…" Renji answered.

Kisuke leaned forward again and touched the snake charm.

"Byakuya," he said quietly, "Wake up."

The noble remained silent and still, except for the calm passage of his breath.

"Hmmm…" muttered Kisuke, "Maybe it only works one way…no, that wouldn't make sense. He would want to be able to wake him up…"

He stared harder at the charms.

"Yoruichi," he said quietly, "Tell him to wake up."

"What?"

"Like I just did. You try."

"Oh," she said, kneeling next to the unconscious noble and taking his hand, "Byakuya, wake up."

"Surprise, surprise," said Renji sarcastically, "He's still out cold!"

Kisuke looked offended.

"I'm not done…just give me a sec," he said, a sly smile crawling onto his face, "Renji, wake him up."

"What?"

"Touch the snake charm and wake him up."

"Kisuke, it didn't work for you or Yoruichi. Why would it work for me?"

"Would you just try it?" Kisuke sighed.

Renji shook his head and muttered something beneath his breath, but reached out and touched the snake charm.

"Taicho," he said softly, "Wake up."

Byakuya took a deeper breath and his eyes slid open. He blinked and gazed up at them, looking annoyed.

"How did you make that charm work?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, "Only Aizen Sousuke could make me sleep…"

"Knock him out again," said Kisuke.

"Excuse me?" Byakuya said archly.

"Sleep," said Renji, touching the snake charm.

Byakuya's eyes closed and he dropped off to sleep instantly. Kisuke and Yoruichi exchanged glances.

"Uh…wake him up again…" said Kisuke.

"Taicho, wake up."

Byakuya's eyes opened and flared.

"Will you stop doing that?" he said angrily.

"Well, Kisuke was just…"

"I was just figuring out how they work."

"You ridiculous, mad scientist! You could have just…"

"Renji," said Kisuke, smiling devilishly.

"Sleep," said Renji, touching the charm.

Byakuya fell back and closed his eyes. Kisuke and Yoruichi exchanged glances again and burst into laughter.

"All right, all right," said Renji in a flustered voice, "That's very funny…now what?"

Kisuke cleared his throat.

"Well, it seems, my good friend, that you have somehow managed to land yourself a one-of-a-kind, no one-else-has-it, handy dandy remote controlled taicho…complete with good looks, nasty temper and one mean superiority complex! Congratulations!"

"Wh-what?" Renji asked, looking mystified.

"You have every Squad Six member's dream, Renji! Think about it! You don't want to work all hours or be pushed around by him…or hear him rant, just touch that snake charm and he will fall over unconscious!"

"B-but…wha…how?" Renji stammered, "Why me?"

"Huh?" said Kisuke, looking surprised at the question, "Renji, who the hell cares? You have physical control over Kuchiki freaking Byakuya! Is that _really_ a problem for you?"

"Hmmm," said Yoruichi, "it sounded like Byakuya knew something about the charms. Renji, you should wake him and ask him what he knows."

"He'd probably just refuse to tell us," Renji muttered, "He was pretty pissed already."

"So if he won't cooperate, just knock him out again," laughed Kisuke, "Damn, why does _he_ get to have all of the fun?"

Renji shook his head, still not sure whether or not to believe…

"Taicho, wake up," he said softly.

Byakuya's eyes opened and met his angrily, but this time, he said nothing. Renji felt a hard chill move down his spine at the hateful expression. Kisuke laughed.

"Renji," he said, smirking, "I think your taicho is willing to answer our questions now."

Byakuya's reiatsu burned so hotly against Renji's skin that he had to move back slightly.

"Go ahead," said Kisuke, the joviality going out of his features, "Ask him, Renji. Ask him why the most wicked shinigami known to us called him into Las Noches, like one of his own. Have him explain how he knew that Aizen would want him to go there."

His eyes gleamed aggressively.

"Ask him what is between Aizen and him. And then we'll know…whether he is in need of our help…or if all he needs is a one way ticket to the Sokyoku…"

Renji stared into Byakuya's hate-filled expression, feeling the burn of the noble's fury against his skin. It was painful to hold the dark gray, gleaming eyes like that, but he bore it for several long moments, then, still gazing into them, said with conviction…

"My Taicho is no traitor. He has his reasons for going to Las Noches…and he will tell them to me privately. Kisuke, Yoruichi, I need some time alone with him."

Urahara smiled more congenially.

"Of course, Renji. Now that Byakuya knows who is master and who is slave, he should tell you whatever you want to know. Just…have him talk fast. You know, the secret mobile corps sensed the opening of that garganta…and they will likely sense that he has returned to the living world. I suggest that if you two want to talk, you had best conceal your spirit energy and disappear for a while."

Renji nodded, then watched as Yoruichi and Kisuke stepped out of the room. Byakuya continued to stare at Renji with a deadly expression. Renji gazed back at him for a moment, then went to the closet and grabbed one of the shihakushos he kept there for when he was on assignment in Karakura Town.

"Get dressed," he said quietly, "and you'll have to conceal our spirit energy since I can't do it for shit."

"Where are we going?" Byakuya asked in a low voice.

Renji looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Somewhere we can talk without being found. We're not going to just wait here to be picked up by the secret mobile corps."

"Did you consider Rikichi?" Byakuya asked solemnly.

Renji blinked.

"Yeah, he should come too. We need to get our stories straight…before we go back."

"Are you placing me under arrest?" Byakuya asked quietly.

"I am taking you into custody," Renji said, turning away, "Dress. Just remember, Taicho, what I hear from you when I ask you my questions will decide whether or not I make the arrest official. Think about that…while we are on our way."

The two fell silent and Byakuya slipped into the shihakusho. They left the bedroom and joined Kisuke and Yoruichi in the kitchen, where the two were having tea. Kisuke and Byakuya exchanged silent, aggressive glances.

"Well," the shopkeeper said, smiling at Renji, "Did you get things worked out?"

"Sort of," Renji said, "We're going to go somewhere to talk for a while. Do you know where Rikichi is? We need him to come along so that the secret mobile corps isn't able to get their hands on him before we can talk about this."

"Actually," said Kisuke, "I am going to hang on to Rikichi."

"What?" said Renji.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"You think I went to him to join him?" the noble asked sarcastically, "Then you are as stupid as I've always thought you were…"

"I think you went to kill him," Kisuke said, staring into the noble's guarded eyes, "but I'm also thinking that there's a hell of a lot more to the story than just his use of your sister in his plans. I know better than to trust a damned word you say while you're cornered like this and I know better than to trust you to be left alone with Renji and Rikichi right now. If Rikichi stays here, there's still a living witness to your exit from the Seireitei. That way, if we're wrong and you damage Abarai Renji, in any way…we can call the secret mobile corps and set them on your trail personally."

He smiled.

"But hey, good luck with your conversation. I'm sure you and Renji will have lots to say to each other."

Renji stared as the two locked glances again.

"Uh…Taicho," he said, breaking the tension, "Come on. We should go."

Byakuya turned and silently followed Renji out of the shop.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Aren't you curious at all where we're going, Taicho?" Renji asked as the two passed through the senkaimon and back into Soul Society.

"I have no control over that," said Byakuya calmly, "You wanted control, Renji, and now you have it. What purpose would it serve to ask? If you intended for me to know, then you would have told me."

Renji frowned.

"Look, I don't mean for it to be like that, Taicho. I just couldn't think of any other way to get you to talk to me."

"And what good do you imagine that talking is going to do, Renji?" Byakuya asked, "I can handle this on my own."

"Sure," Renji muttered, "You were doing a great job of handling things in Las Noches. I'm _convinced_ that if we hadn't busted in and saved you when we did, you would have escaped all by yourself! Come on…don't kid yourself. You need someone on your side, right now."

"And you think you are up to tackling Aizen Sousuke head on?" Byakuya said sarcastically, "Don't make me laugh. The man almost cut you in half the last time you confronted him."

"Yeah," said Renji, "but it doesn't seem like you're doing much better. He might not have cut you in half, but it sure looked like he was using you for something, Taicho…and I don't think he was consulting with you about gardening techniques!"

"Actually…" Byakuya began.

Renji turned and grabbed him by the shoulders angrily.

"Look, I'm not kidding around here, Taicho! That guy _welcomed_ you into Las Noches…and you went to Sokyoku Hill like you _knew_ he would be waiting for you. And then we come to bust you out of there and where are you? In that atrium, dressed in nothing but that yukata…and you were with him in that state. You want to tell me what in the hell I'm supposed to think of that?"

Byakuya sighed and closed his eyes. He thought for a moment, then opened his eyes and met Renji's more calmly.

"Renji, I know what it looked like…and I wasn't attempting levity a moment ago. We were discussing the gardens in the atrium…because he forced me to use my gift to create that garden while I was there."

Renji stared at him in disbelief.

"Taicho, I hope you don't think for a second that I'm stupid enough to believe that Aizen Sousuke invited you to Las Noches for his housewarming and as a gift, you made him that garden! Tell me that you really don't think I'm that dumb!" the redhead snapped.

"I never questioned your intelligence, Renji," Byakuya answered, following as he turned toward the Rukongai, "And I hope that you were telling me the truth when you said that you did not question my loyalty to the Gotei 13 and my king."

Renji sighed.

"I know you didn't betray us," he admitted in a low voice, "but I really need you to tell me what the fuck _did_ happen. I was just beginning to think that I understood some things about you…and I don't want to be made a fool of by you. We've done enough of that."

"I have no wish to make a fool of you, Renji," the noble said in a softer voice, "I do appreciate your willingness to afford me the benefit of the doubt, despite the fact that you have been given plenty of reasons to believe the worst about me. I wanted to believe that I didn't care about being left to my own devices in this…but…it is a comfort to not feel so isolated."

They walked on for several minutes in silence.

"So," Renji said finally, "Do you want to know where we are going?"

Byakuya sighed.

"If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that we are headed toward Inuzuri," he said matter-of-factly.

"Good guess, Taicho," Renji said, smiling, "I figure that even if the secret mobile corps senses us, they'll be stymied trying to find us there. Just, don't run away from me, okay?"

"Abarai, in case you were not aware of the fact…or the genius Urahara wasn't able to figure it out, the bands and charms I wear have decided that you are my master. That is why when I strayed from your side in the desert that the hollows attempted to attack me. I have to stay within a certain radius of you, or it will happen again."

Renji stared at him in wonder.

"Shit, I'm glad you told me before I left you to go scout ahead or something!" he mused, "Okay, note to self. We stick close together from now on. Check."

Renji shook his head in amazement.

"As soon as we get where we are going, you have got to help me figure out how these things work!" he exclaimed.

"Why, so you can use them to control me?" said Byakuya, looking offended.

"No," said Renji, "so we don't do something that gets one of us killed by mistake!"


	11. Circling

**Chapter 11: Circling**

The light was beginning to fade as Renji led Byakuya into Inuzuri. The vendors were already beginning to close up shop and they had little in the way of funds anyway (Byakuya, because he had returned from Las Noches with nothing but himself and Renji because he was smart enough not to enter the town carrying anything much that he didn't want to lose.), so they carried and consumed only enough food and drink to take the edge off their hunger and thirst, then they made their way to the far end of town and out again to a deserted, rocky plain bordered by low hills, several caves and a small river. Renji led him quickly across the plain to the hills and then turned him into a scattering of trees. Byakuya was just about to break the silence and question him about why he had chosen this place when Renji turned suddenly and began pulling away the brush and rocks in front of a cave that he hadn't even seen. Renji looked up and noted his questioning expression.

"This was one of our hideouts when Rukia and I were living here. We had to move around from time to time to avoid being followed by people looking to take whatever useful things we might have. We learned to never look as though we had anything of value and to conceal ourselves carefully at night. This cave was what I considered to be the safest of our hideouts, being just outside of town and in the cover of trees…covered with brush. When we go inside, we can cover the entrance to make it nearly invisible. And in the morning, I can set up an early warning system to alert us to anyone who might come into the area while we are here."

"How long are you planning on us being here?" asked Byakuya, finally breaking the intense silence that had risen up between them.

Renji glanced at him for a moment in the gray of twilight.

"As long as we need to be," he answered, leading Byakuya into the cave and turning back to conceal the entrance, "I think we have a lot to talk about and I wanted to be sure we were in a private place, where we can speak freely."

Byakuya accepted his answer without comment and used a kido spell to light the interior of the cave. He was surprised at the comfortable size of it. They could easily stand on the inside and there were no jutting stones to endanger them. The rough, rocky ceiling was almost domelike and near the front was a recess that vented upward like a small chimney. Its path was convoluted, so that although someone without might see the smoke from their cooking fire, they would not be able to trace its source with any ease. Renji disappeared into the shadows at the rear of the cave and returned with cooking utensils.

"It doesn't appear that anyone has been here since Rukia and I were here last," Renji commented.

"You did a good job of concealing it," Byakuya replied.

Not having procured wood for a fire, Byakuya found a large stone and set it in the cooking recess. Using a kido spell, he heated the stone until it glowed red, then rinsed and filled the teapot Renji had brought, and set it over the hot stone. In addition to heating the water for their tea, the warmth from the stone permeated the cave, taking the chill out of the air and leaving the environs comfortable. Renji took the tea leaves from the small pack he had brought and prepared their tea, while Byakuya sat, leaned against the wall, making himself more familiar with his new surroundings.

"We can gather long grass from the plains to use for bedding. We'll need to soak the bedding in the river and hang it out to dry first, though…but after that, we'll have a better surface for sleeping than on the hard floor of the cave."

Byakuya nodded silently in answer as Renji handed him a cup of tea. The noble sipped at it quietly, observing Renji's face in the halflight provided by the heated stone. Both knew there was a lot of territory to cover, but neither was terribly anxious to start the conversation. Instead, the atmosphere became more like what it had been when they had been on a field mission…calm silence in each other's presence, each quietly doing his part to make both comfortable.

It wasn't until the hour had grown late and the stone's light had begun to fade that Renji crossed that invisible line and started to ask the inevitable questions. Byakuya gave no sign of being uncomfortable, especially as Renji was careful to begin with purely reasonable, academic questions.

"Taicho," he said, finding Byakuya's face in the fading light, "do you think you could explain to me now what you know about how those charms work? I think it's important to know so that I don't activate them unexpectedly or something."

Byakuya gazed at him for a moment, then nodded briefly and sent another kido spell into the stone to improve the lighting to his satisfaction. Renji moved closer and slowly examined the slim, silver bands and charms.

"The bands," Byakuya explained, "are there to hold a general seal on my powers. Without the charms, I would be entirely powerless, so the charms add nuances to my bondage, allowing certain things, while denying others. When they were first placed on me, there were a total of four charms…a sword, a sakura tree, a snake and a moon charm. Each of them alters my powers and protections according to the dictates of the one who controls them. When I was held in Las Noches, Aizen Sousuke was the one who controlled the charms. He explained to me that the snake charm was a way for him to control me and to somehow borrow my powers. He did use it to immobilize me, but he never had need of my battle powers while I was there, so I do not know how that feature is activated or used. The sword charm was both protective and restrictive. As long as I was in the fortress, I was protected from physical and kido attacks, but if I left the fortress without his leave, the charm would call every hollow within a hundred miles of me to attack."

"Did you ever try to leave the fortress?" Renji asked, looking concerned.

"Once," Byakuya admitted, "but I didn't get far."

"But…they didn't…do what they did when we rescued you?"

"No," Byakuya answered, sounding somewhat less comfortable, "It seems that he allowed the sword charm to override the sakura charm at that time. He removed the sword charm to allow me defensive powers."

"Why do that?" Renji asked, "What was he meaning to do by it?"

Byakuya sighed.

"He was trying to make me feel more comfortable with the idea of remaining in Las Noches."

"Nice of him," Renji commented, "not everyone taken prisoner gets that kind of treatment."

"I am powerful," Byakuya said, his eyes darkening slightly, "He wanted to control that power to add it to his arsenal. Taking me from the Gotei 13 was a reduction in his enemy's overall power, and being able to access and use that power himself would strike the Seireitei even harder. It made sense."

Renji sensed immediately that there was more that Byakuya was choosing not to say, but he knew better than to start pushing for information. He was plenty clear on the questions he needed to ask Byakuya, but also knew that at the moment, he needed to break ground between them and begin to build a bridge. Byakuya would open up only once he felt comfortable doing so. And then, Renji thought, he would have his answers.

"Yeah," he agreed, "taking and using your power is a sensible thing for him to do."

He reached out and touched the sakura charm.

"So…this is the one that caused the hollows to attack you when we rescued you?" he asked, shifting the topic to make the noble more comfortable.

Byakuya nodded.

"While I was Sousuke's prisoner, the sakura charm assured that I could not be taken sexually against my will. However, if I left the fortress, every hollow within a hundred miles would…"

"Yeah," said Renji, stopping him as he saw the color rising on the noble's cheeks and throat.

He blinked in surprise at the fact that he could never remember seeing Byakuya blush like that. He felt an odd stirring inside.

"What does the moon charm do?" he asked, trying to shift the topic again.

"I don't know," Byakuya said flatly.

Renji knew he'd have bet the farm on those words proving to be a lie. Byakuya knew something about how that charm worked, but Renji could read from his expression that he wasn't going to budge on the subject. That, he decided, was okay…given that he could return to the subject in more detail later. He frowned and gazed down at the charms again.

"You say that Aizen removed the sword charm?" Renji queried, "Do you think I could remove these? I mean, if I am the master…"

"Perhaps," Byakuya said, "but I don't know how much of what he controlled was a mere physical effect and what was controlled by will or mind."

"Then…not wanting to take a chance on injuring us," Renji said, "we should, perhaps return to Urahara after we have talked things out. Maybe, given more time, he could help me to remove them."

"Perhaps," said Byakuya, looking like he'd rather be eaten by hollows than return to the shop.

"Maybe he could also work out the moon charm," Renji said, watching the discomfort rise into Byakuya's eyes again.

He was definitely hiding something…

"So," Renji went on, "do you have any idea why these things might have decided that I am your master?"

Byakuya hesitated for a moment.

"I have been thinking about that," he said, closing his eyes for a moment, "Sousuke said that he was made master over me when I was defeated by him in battle."

"Hmm," mused Renji, "but I didn't defeat you in battle…"

"And you did not defeat him to win the right," Byakuya added.

The two went quiet for several long minutes. Then Byakuya lifted his eyes and met Renji's thoughtfully.

"You did not defeat either of us," he said slowly, "but it was your bankai that took me from him. You rescued me."

"Well…I had help…"

"But it was you who actually took me away from him."

He thought for a moment, then Renji saw the blush rise onto his face again and Byakuya turned away suddenly.

"What is it?" he asked, "Did you remember something important?"

"No," Byakuya said, carefully keeping his face concealed in shadow, "I did remember something, but it does not have bearing on this discussion."

Renji sensed more beneath the words, but also knew better to push when the subject was obviously so uncomfortable for him. Eventually, he would have to force the issue, but he planned to make every effort to make his interrogation of Byakuya as comfortable for his taicho as he could. He and Byakuya knew all too well that if the secret mobile corps had been asking the questions, they would not have taken things either slowly or easily with him. Their methods, while falling short of being torturous, were certainly invasive. So both he and Byakuya were motivated to work together. Because Byakuya knew that if Renji reported that he had obtained official statements about what had happened…and if he reported that Byakuya had been cooperative, then they would go easier in their questioning, a better outcome for all involved.

"Well," said Renji, yawning, "I don't know about you, but I'm so tired that I don't think I'll even mind sleeping on the cave floor!"

He glanced at Byakuya.

"Sorry about this, taicho," he said, as an afterthought, "I know you're not used to…"

"I served several months in Inuzuri, Renji," Byakuya reminded him, "I am fine."

Renji struck his forehead with his palm, wondering how he had forgotten.

"Ah, that's right. Sorry, Taicho, I forgot all about that. That was when you met Hisana, wasn't it?"

Byakuya nodded.

"I took an assignment blending in with the citizenry to study its workings and to help the Gotei 13 figure out ways to offer them better protection against hollow attacks. Being on the edges of our territory, hollow attacks are frequent. They are a major cause of death here, among the civilians…and the shinigamis who venture here with the idea of protecting them. I was disguised and sent with a former resident to help me settle in and begin my mission. He was killed on my second day there and I was injured."

"Taicho…" Renji said, looking surprised, "I never heard anything of this."

"I woke after the attack and found myself in an old, abandoned cottage. It was small and poor, but like this cave, was more well-kept inside."

"Hisana?"

"Yes…she found me lying in the brush near the edge of town, where the attack had taken place. She was able to rouse me enough to walk, with her help, to the cottage. The town healer came and saw to my injuries, then I remained at the cottage for the duration of my assignment."

"And it was during that time that you fell in love with her?" Renji asked.

Byakuya went silent briefly, closing his eyes and considering before moving forward.

"I didn't fall in love with Hisana," he said, finally, "I was grateful for her assistance and I stayed with her more in the way of offering her my protection than offering my affection. We became close friends…she was the closest friend I had ever had…and when the time came for me to return to the Seireitei, I could not leave her behind. She was already frail of body and I feared for her safety. So, I made an agreement with her that she would marry me and come to live with me at Kuchiki Manor."

"So you didn't break the rules and marry her for love, but to protect your friend? Taicho, doesn't that seem sort of extreme? I mean, sure, you were friends and all, but marriage? Breaking the clan rules? Granted that she needed protection, but you clearly could have chosen another way. Why that way?"

Byakuya didn't answer. Renji continue to mutter to himself, considering the matter as he moved over to his sleeping spot. He heard Byakuya move to the place across from his and sigh as he settled down onto the floor. He went quiet, but Renji sensed that he was still lying there awake.

"Taicho," he said, staring up at the barely visible cave ceiling, "your marriage to Hisana doesn't make sense to me. You present it as if each of you entered it for a reason. She entered it to gain your protection and certainly, you wanted that for your friend…but I feel that there must have been something more that you were seeking."

"And why does it matter to you why I married my wife?" Byakuya asked, "Perhaps I did so to avoid an arranged marriage. That was certainly in my future…"

"No…" Renji said, shaking his head in the darkness, "There's something more to this than you are saying. I feel it…and I'll figure it out."

"And why, I have to ask again, does that matter to you? Why would my choice of bride have any bearing? It was a private decision, made for private reasons that have nothing to do with you."

He turned away, ending the conversation.

Renji lay awake, thinking things carefully through, trying to make any connections to anything else he knew. He kept coming back to several odd facts…Rikichi's report of discord between Byakuya and Aizen prior to the betrayer's departure…the sexual nature of the sakura charm, the sight of Byakuya standing in Aizen's presence, dressed in just the thin yukata…and the sexual attack of the hollows. Add to that, the fact that Byakuya married a friend…and so had a marriage of convenience. Renji sat up so fast that his head spun.

_Holy shit! Taicho was seeing Aizen Sousuke? They were lovers?_

He looked over at his soundly sleeping taicho and felt a chill pass through him. Even if it was true, the bands and charms proved that any relationship had long since ended…and that, though Aizen Sousuke was eager to continue things, Byakuya did not return the sentiment. So he had been right all along. Byakuya had not betrayed anyone and Aizen hadn't called him to Las Noches because of any hope of luring him into betraying the Gotei 13. He had opened the garganta for Byakuya because he knew that Byakuya was coming to kill him…and that he was too weakened to kill the traitor. He welcomed Byakuya into Las Noches, because he wanted to regain the noble's heart.

Taicho…you are in really deep. You have to give me your trust soon…or they will execute you…

He laid on the cave floor, watching Byakuya's face slowly disappear into the darkness as the kido spell on the stone dissipated. But it was already beginning to grow light again when he finally managed to fall asleep.


	12. Slowly Cornered

**Chapter 12: Slowly Cornered**

Byakuya woke early, feeling dusty and unkempt. Remembering that the river was close, he gathered a change of clothes and towel and left Renji in the cave, sleeping. He walked the trail slowly, admiring the wildflowers that grew there and thinking how encouraging it was that even here, in Inuzuri, some beautiful things existed. But thinking about that triggered a memory of his creation of the garden in Las Noches. He didn't want to remember that.

Instead, he breathed in the fresh air and strolled along the trail, gazing at the flowers and trees, and letting his mind wander. He stopped at the edge of the river and slipped out of his clothes, then waded in waist deep and let his mind wander away again as he bathed.

He wasn't afraid of Aizen Sousuke sensing him. He would have tried to do so through the bands and charms and would have found by now that he was no longer Byakuya's master. A smile of relief crept onto his face. He might still be bound against his will, but despite the current discord between them, he still trusted Renji more than anyone else.

He appreciated deeply the careful route that the redhead was taking with his questioning. He could have pushed harder in many places in their conversation, but he had carefully avoided doing so. He could have used the fact of being Byakuya's master to compel him to say more than he felt comfortable saying, but he hadn't taken advantage. He had, in fact, shown great restraint. It was clear that Renji knew that he was being evasive…but since most of the evasion had to do with personal issues that he did not deem related, he had let them slide. Byakuya felt a pang of guilt at having used that fact to evade questions about why he had not loved Hisana, but had married her. And the reason why he hadn't loved her was because he had still been trying to put his relationship with Aizen Sousuke behind him. It had all been a stupid mistake, a case of just blundering into and falling for the wrong person…

He closed his eyes against the memory of how he had begun to spend time with Aizen Sousuke because they both had an interest in calligraphy…and Aizen was more talented at it than he. He had gone to Aizen taicho's residence to practice when Ginrei discovered that Byakuya took well to both calligraphy and Aizen's calm manner of teaching. Several of their meetings had gone as planned…but then…

He sighed contentedly, leaning over his paper and making light, graceful strokes on the page. He heard the light, sweet sound of birdsong outside the window and turned to look, upsetting the inkpot and watching in annoyance as it ran onto the paper he had just completed.

"_Bother," he hissed, standing and sweeping the ruined paper and emptied inkpot into the trash._

_He looked around, but no longer saw Aizen taichou in the room. He went into the kitchen and found what he needed to clean his workspace, then started to return, but as he passed into the hallway, Aizen stepped out of his bedroom, wearing a partially opened yukata. He lowered his eyes respectfully._

"_Gomen nasai, I was…"_

"_Let me guess. You were distracted by the loveliness of the day and you spilled the inkpot onto your work," he said quietly._

"_How did you…?"_

_Aizen came closer._

"_Because I know you, Byakuya."_

_His heart was beating strangely and he wasn't sure what to say as the Squad Five taicho reached him and slipped a hand under his chin, gazing down into his eyes thoughtfully._

"_You are young," he said softly, in a way that made Byakuya feel that being young was a very good thing, "You should be enjoying the worlds that surround you…not be cornered, made to conform…changed. You are truly unique and beautiful the way you are. You should not forget that, Byakuya."_

_His face moved closer and Byakuya felt an odd, dizzy sensation pass through him. Aizen's hand raised his chin and made his head tilt slightly to the side as their faces grew closer together and Aizen Sousuke's lips gently found his._

_His mind spun madly at the sudden, deeply intimate meeting of their mouths. He knew that he should pull away, that what they were doing was wrong for quite a few reasons._

_He was a future clan leader…_

_He was a subordinate in the military…_

_He was noble and male and forbidden to be with someone male and not noble…_

_Yes, there were so many reasons not to let it continue, but several compelling reasons to move forward._

_He was, he found, attracted to the gentle taicho of the fifth division…_

_Aizen Sousuke was warm and affectionate, not at all like the ones who surrounded him at home…_

_Despite being a future clan leader and seemingly very obedient, Byakuya had a submerged inner child who longed for freedom that he would never have, who wanted to taste what the clan called forbidden things, but never explained how they were wrong…_

_But mostly, Byakuya wanted more than anything to be treated as an equal, by someone who didn't make him feel either above or beneath him. When he was with Sousuke, they acted less like teacher and student…and more like…friends._

_And now they were moving beyond even friendship. He worried that it would be found out by the clan…and it did make him stop and pull free of Aizen, holding the gentle brown eyes and touching his lips with light fingertips._

"_You are worried about what they will think…what they might do, aren't you?" Aizen said, seeming to read his mind, "Byakuya, I understand. I won't let this be known to anyone else. Remember, I also must concern myself this way. As a subordinate officer, you are not supposed to be approached this way by a taicho. I assure you. I will say nothing of what happens in this house outside of it. I will never seek you out in front of others or make our association known."_

_Byakuya looked up at him questioningly._

"_But that makes it sound so casual…as though I were just…"_

"_Oh, no, Byakuya," Aizen said quickly, touching his fingers to the noble's lips, "I did not mean to sound as though this was a meaningless affair. I have no other lovers. I want no others. But I have wanted you…for some time now. You…have noticed me looking at you with something more than affection in my eyes, ne?"_

_And he realized quite suddenly that he had noticed. He had noticed the eyes that looked too closely and for too long to simply be friendly eyes. These were eyes that admired…that wanted…that loved…_

"_Hai, Aizen taicho. I have noticed…but I did not dare to hope."_

_Aizen smiled and took the young noble's face in both hands._

"_Always maintain hope, Byakuya. There is hope for all of us."_

_His lips claimed Byakuya's gently again and he felt his legs weaken beneath him. The pressure on his mouth was unbearably light. He suddenly wanted to be kissed harder…to be swept off his feet and carried into the room so close by. The dark brown eyes bored down into his, reading everything inside him and acting immediately to make it all real. _

_The next thing Byakuya knew, he was lifted off his feet and carried, still kissing Aizen taicho, into the man's room and set down on his bed. Aizen's hands lost some of their gentleness as they tore his clothes away, laying his pale flesh bared against the dark red coverings on the bed. Aizen rose up over him, stopping to remove his glasses and to brush his hair back. It gave him, Byakuya noticed, a much less gentle, far more dangerous look._

_He stripped away the white haori, the shihakusho top and hakama…everything, until he was as bare as the very aroused young man who laid waiting to be taken by him. The brown eyes gazed down at him hungrily now, raking the young noble's body relentlessly as warm hands reached out and took hold of him, dragging him into the other man's arms, pulling him onto Aizen's lap and bringing his thickened member into contact with the one that waited impatiently to plunge into him. Byakuya couldn't think about what was going to happen. If he thought ahead, he wouldn't be able to go through with it. Instead, he focused on the dark, wanton eyes that fed on his and moaned in delight as Aizen's body moved, rubbing their hot lengths against each other._

_He opened his mouth and thrust a probing tongue between the noble's parted lips, tasting him so deeply, so intimately, Byakuya felt his dizziness increase until he could hardly draw a proper breath._

"_Aizen taicho…" he moaned._

"_Does it feel good, my Byakuya?" asked Aizen in a soft voice._

"_Ah, kami, yes…it feels good…"_

"_And they say this is wrong…" mused Aizen, "for you and me to share this feeling, this love…"_

"_It's not wrong," Byakuya whispered, "It couldn't feel so good like this and be wrong. They are wrong."_

"_I think so, too. The nobles…the military…all those who would keep us apart. That's why we must hide what we are doing. But it is not wrong, Byakuya. This love is not wrong…"_

"_No…"_

"_What do you want me to do now, my Byakuya?"_

_He couldn't say such a thing…couldn't say such words…_

"_I…want…"_

"_What do you want? Say the words. They're not wrong, Byakuya. Say them."_

"_I want you to touch me…"_

_Aizen smiled._

"_How would you like to be touched? With my hands?" he asked, reaching down and sliding a hand along Byakuya's hardened length, "or perhaps…"_

_He lowered his lips to the blushing head and licked it lightly, dragging a groan of pleasure from the noble's lips._

"_It feels good, ne?" said Aizen, lowering himself again._

_Byakuya felt that warm mouth wrap around him and could barely hold his hips still. The mingled sensations of suction and long, hot licks made him throw back his head and pant harshly._

"_Aizen taicho…" he moaned, more loudly._

_His breath shortened and the dizzy feeling increased. Probing fingers touched his flushed privates and he flinched. Aizen chuckled softly and continued to touch and stroke the area until his body adjusted and calmed. He pulled his mouth away from Byakuya's inflamed arousal and reclaimed his mouth,, thrusting his tongue inside Byakuya's mouth and sharing the blending of their tastes. The young noble sucked at his invading tongue hungrily, thrusting his hips upward and moaning._

_Aizen's eyes darkened._

"_Do you want me to take you…my Byakuya?" he asked, still stroking the noble's soft flesh with one hand, "I will wait…if you wish…"_

"_No," moaned Byakuya, "no…I…I…want you to…"_

"_You want me to what?"_

"_I want you to take me…"_

"_It could be painful," Aizen said, nipping at his throat and ear._

"_I don't care," Byakuya moaned, lifting his hips toward the hand that left his sac and wrapped around his thickened member, sliding up and down, making him moan louder, "I want…you…inside me…now…" he panted._

"_You don't know what you're saying. I should at least prepare you…"_

"_I want you…now…" Byakuya hissed against Aizen's smiling lips._

"_Hold on to me." _

_Byakuya's hands clenched his shoulders tightly. He held his breath and closed his eyes._

"_Look at me, Byakuya," Aizen said firmly._

_Byakuya opened his eyes and met the affectionate brown ones that looked down at him._

"_Byakuya…aishiteru yo…"_

"_Aizen taicho…"_

_His words disappeared in a cry of pain as the fifth division taicho thrust into him. His fingers tightened painfully on Aizen's shoulders and his jaw clenched in reaction. Aizen held him tightly and did not move as Byakuya hissed with pain and rested with his chest heaving against Aizen's. He forced himself to push it away and bucked his hips upward, moaning into the mouth that captured his. Aizen's hips moved and Byakuya gasped with pleasure, his voice rising up to plead for more. He wanted it harder, faster, deeper. He didn't want it to stop…ever…and Aizen seemed to read his thoughts. He thrust heavily into the youthful, lithe body beneath him, smiling as the noble's moans rose into hard cries of pleasure and hot seed erupted into the space between their writhing bodies. He thrust deeply inside Byakuya, holding him tightly and groaning with pleasure as he emptied himself into his lover, then dropped down next to him and pulled the noble into his arms._

_Byakuya laid in Aizen Sousuke's arms, still reeling with the pleasure, but already feeling the guilt rise up inside him. He had broken so many rules…and they would break even more as they would be forced to lie and say there was nothing between them. But he couldn't think about that…not while his body was so alive and glowing, filled with his lover's seed and sated._

Byakuya sighed and forced the memory away. It had happened so long ago…and he had hated himself for it for so long. But he had been young and impressionable, hot-blooded, passionate and from a family that was trying to corner and tame him. Aizen had offered him a place to speak and act freely. And the fifth division taicho had professed to love him…had never done anything to hurt him…

Except that it was all a lie. And that's what makes it hurt so badly. It was all a lie. But why does he still want me? If it was a lie, then why does he think for a moment that it should go on…

"Well…" drawled a rough voice, "what have we here?"

Rough hands were on him so quickly that he couldn't react. His anger flared at his own stupidity as his attackers quickly sealed away his spirit energy and dragged him into the shallows, binding his hands and forcing him down onto his stomach.

"Nice jewelry," another harsh voice said, "but I think we'll have to cut his hands off to get them off."

"They're enchanted," Byakuya began, but a hard punch to his ribs stopped the words.

"Then they'll be worth more."

"No…"

Fingers sank into his hair and yanked his head back.

"Have you ever seen such pretty skin? Such silky hair? He's a rich man, ne? Whatcha doin' here, rich man?"

"He looks tight," said another voice.

"Don't," hissed Byakuya, "The charms will kill you!"

Hard voices rose up in even harder laughter. The rough hands held him down and forced his face into the water. He struggled until his body weakened from lack of air, then his head was pulled back and he sucked in a breath.

"I want him, first," said a low voice.

The rough hands held him still and forced his legs apart. He felt a hardened member touch him and begin to push forward, then the next thing he knew, someone screamed and the body attempting to invade his exploded instantly into ash that drifted lazily down on the rest of them. The others howled in dismay and tightened their hands on him, ready to tear him apart for what the charms had done.

"Taicho!" cried Renji's voice from somewhere nearby.

He heard a sword drawn and suddenly, he was released and dropped into the water, still bound. He sank beneath the surface and was pulled away from the shore. He kicked his feet, but with his arms bound, couldn't stop himself from being pulled into the deeper water. He tried to take a quick breath as he surfaced, but got a mouthful of water and choked. He felt his body weaken. Then, suddenly, Renji was there at his side, dragging him to the surface and cutting the ties at his wrists. He was pulled into the shallows and Renji checked him quickly for injuries.

"Are you all right?" Renji asked frantically.

"I'm fine, Renji," he assured the redhead, "The one who…tried to hurt me…the sakura charm…killed him."

"I saw," said Renji, meeting his eyes warily.

He sighed in frustration.

"What were you doing out here, all by yourself?"

"I was bathing," Byakuya said, leaning against him, wearily.

"You were…bathing…" Renji repeated, bemused, "Well, the next time you're in the mood for a bath, would you let me know? This is Inuzuri! You can't just…"

"Arigato, Renji," he said, cutting off the redhead's lecture, "I appreciate your assistance. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get dressed."

He climbed to his feet, swaying unsteadily for a moment, then he found his balance and walked back to where he had left his clothes. He tried not to notice Renji sitting in the distance, trying (and failing) not to stare…


	13. Moving Closer

**Chapter 13: Moving Closer**

Renji poured tea into two cups and handed one to Byakuya, then joined him where he sat, leaned against the cave wall. He stared quietly into the tea, taking small sips and wondering how much longer it would be before things grew unpleasant between the two of them again. It had to happen. Renji wanted information that was unbearable for him to think about, let alone say aloud. And it had been carefully hidden for so long that he had fooled himself into thinking that it never had to be revealed. But his own reckless actions had made it happen…although he couldn't have done anything else upon knowing that Aizen had killed his parents and Hisana.

He killed them and he still thinks we can be together after that…

"Taicho," Renji said softly, "You look like you need to talk."

Byakuya froze and closed his eyes.

Is it so obvious now? Does it show so clearly?

"Look…I figure…that what's bothering you…it has to do with why you really went to Las Noches."

"You don't think that going to avenge his treatment of Rukia was enough of a reason for me to want to kill him?" Byakuya asked softly.

"I'm not saying that it wasn't. I agree with Urahara Kisuke that you went there to kill him. I don't think that you were there to join him. But there are a lot things that make me believe that he wanted you there…that he hoped that you would join him. Those feelings had to come from somewhere. And I figure…that…"

He stopped and bit his lip, thinking carefully. He was about to step over a line.

"I think that it happened a long time ago."

Byakuya remained perfectly silent, staring down into his teacup.

"I think that it happened before you met Hisana…that, for some reason, even though he wasn't a fugitive then…still, you couldn't say anything. Probably, it had to do with your family…and how they tried to…"

"STOP!" Byakuya said forcefully.

Renji went silent, but flinched at the suddenly angry flare of reiatsu around them.

"I don't want to talk about this."

"I know you don't," Renji said, ignoring the fact that the reiatsu was growing more and more intense, "but you have to realize, there are going to be questions when we get back."

He paused, wondering if he could force out the words that he had to for Byakuya's own good.

"It's going to get out that you were Aizen's lover and…"

He was stopped as Byakuya's teacup went flying out of his hand and the noble took Renji to the floor and wrapped his hands around the redhead's throat. Renji's hands came up in defense and his eyes caught sight of the snake charm. He saw then that Byakuya was staring at it, too, and waiting for him to activate it. He released Renji and backed away, his eyes still furious. He glared hatefully at the snake charm. There was a long, angry silence between the two of them. Finally, Byakuya looked up at him.

"Why didn't you activate it? I did threaten you with bodily harm," Byakuya asked in a voice that was half-angry, half-curious.

"I didn't need to," Renji said, gazing steadily at him, "My taicho would not hurt me."

"But I have," Byakuya said, lowering his eyes, "I have hurt you, Renji."

"Hey," Renji said, moving closer, "that is in the past and I'm not going to use it to beat up on you. We both hurt each other. We were enemies, but we're not now. I want to help you. I want to make sure that when we go home you won't get arrested. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. But if I'm going to help you, you have to talk to me about what happened between Aizen Sousuke and you."

"And what makes you think that will help? How do you know that it won't just be the thing that seals my fate? Renji, there are mistakes you can come back from and there are mistakes that will lead you to your destruction. I will not speak of what happened in the past. Because to do so, would dishonor the ones I would protect."

Renji's eyes flared.

"Dishonor? You want to remain silent because you're worried about dishonor? Taicho, the dishonor, it's not in what happened before! It's what's happening right now! You were sensed leaving the Seireitei through the garganta that Aizen Sousuke opened for you. That has already cast suspicion on you. There are already going to be questions. Would you really prefer being branded a traitor to being branded Aizen's former lover?"

Byakuya flinched and swallowed hard.

"I…Renji, you have no idea, no idea at all how stupid I was…" Byakuya said, his eyes taking on a glimmer of desperation.

"That doesn't matter, Taicho. Everyone does stupid things when they're young. And being Aizen's lover when you were younger doesn't make you a criminal. Being convicted of treason will…and…I don't want that to happen."

Byakuya looked up at him questioningly.

"You?" he said softly, "Renji…you have more reason to want me gone than anyone. For Kami's sake, I almost killed you! I took Rukia out of your life for forty years. I nearly let her be executed!"

"You also saved her, Taicho. When Ichigo and I failed, you stood between her and death. Yes, you made some mistakes. You got lost and didn't know what to do, but kami, I don't know one of us who hasn't been lost at one time or another. And now, you're in the middle of something that you can't handle alone. Please Taicho, I know you have a lot of pride. I know you have a reputation to protect, but if you don't confide in someone soon, you are going to lose everything! You must see that! Then all of the sacrifices you have madeall, of the steps forward you have taken, everything will be lost with you! And no, I don't want that. I don't want you to be hurt. But even more, I don't want you to be dishonored and to die a traitor's death! Please, Taicho, I will beg if I have to. Please, let me help you!"

Byakuya stared in stunned silence at the desperation in Renji's face, the clenched hands, the wide, worried eyes, the heaving chest and shaking limbs.

"Why are you doing this?" he whispered, "Renji, you know you could force me to tell you. The snake charm is a device for control. It gives you dominance over me. All you have to do is to will it. Why? Why haven't you done that?"

Renji stared at him for a long, tense moment, then his body relaxed and his eyes grew calm again. He closed the distance between himself and his cornered taicho and reached out with a tentative hand to touch his face. Byakuya froze, staring at the dark, hungry brown eyes as they looked through him, pushing aside all of his defenses and finding the place where his heart still existed.

"Taicho, I don't want you to tell me these things because I demand it, or because I forced it from you, not because I'm curious or angry, or even desperate. I want you to tell me, because you know I am on your side, because you know I won't use it to hurt you, but will only help you, because you trust me, Taicho. I want you to trust me. And if I use that charm, you will never trust me again. I know you won't. We both know you won't."

Byakuya reached up and took the hand that touched his face. He lowered it to his lap and remained kneeling and looking down at their joined hands.

"And why," he whispered, his voice shaking slightly, "is my trust so important to you, Abarai Renji? Why is it even more important than what I will tell you, than whether or not I am the traitor I am suspected of being? Why does that need overpower your need to know the truth? To see me punished, if that is what I deserve?"

Renji shook his head sadly.

"Do you still not understand?" he breathed, "Then let me show you, Taicho."

He leaned forward and wrapped his free arm around the noble, bringing their lips together in a slow, gentle kiss. Byakuya hesitated, his body stiffening. He shivered softly with indecision, his lips touching Renji's. He took Renji's face in his hands and gazed deeply into the warm, brown eyes, the affectionate expression. And all he found was honest emotion, need…desire…love…

And suddenly, Kuchiki Byakuya was afraid.

He pulled free of Renji and sat with his back against the hard, stone wall. He hadn't the breath for words and couldn't lie. He hadn't the will to resist anymore, nor the strength to move forward. And his mind swirled with confusion. Renji wanted him. And that desire was mutual, but the redhead had hurt him, had lied about his intentions, had watched him closely for years, waiting for the chance to defeat him, to break him down, to humiliate him. But now, given the chance to ruin his life completely, to dominate him and bend him to that other man's will, instead, Renji was on his knees, begging for Byakuya's trust…confessing his love…

"Please say something, Taicho."

A feeling of dizziness swept over him, a feeling of being swept off his feet, of being pulled in a new direction toward a dream he hadn't even known could exist. A shiver of acceptance passed through him and Byakuya felt the return of something he thought he would never feel again.

"I…" he began, then stopped, still staring into those gentle brown eyes.

They weren't at all like Aizen Sousuke's. These eyes were honest, truthful, an open doorway into a heart that wanted very much to touch his. And he ached to feel that connection, longed for it so deeply that it brought tears into his eyes.

"I will trust you," he whispered, "I will tell you."

Renji gave a barely perceptible nod and waited quietly on his knees, facing the noble. Byakuya lowered his eyes and swallowed hard. His body shaking softly, he began to tell the story he had sworn to himself would never pass his lips.

"When I was a teen, I used to train with Shihoin Yoruichi. She liked to play games. And one night, we were in the midst of one of those games, when I happened to see something awful, something dangerous. I saw Aizen Sousuke hollowfying a group of shinigamis, and not just any…fukutaichos…taichos, Renji! I was scared out of my mind. So I started towards home, but Aizen, Gin and Tousen found me. They realized that I had seen. Aizen used his zanpakuto to make me forget and he left me unconscious. But as he struck me down, he told me something. He told me that my parents, too, had witnessed what they should not and that he had killed them. Then, as quickly as he gave me his admission, he struck it from my memory. He let me go…and I lived on…not remembering."

He paused, looking down at his hands, where they rested in his lap.

"Some years later, he mentored me in calligraphy. But during one of our lessons at his home, he seduced me. He seemed so gentle…kind…but he was also passionate…and when he took me, I felt the danger beneath the kindness. I felt it and I desired it with all of my heart. I had no idea I was giving myself to my parents' killer. We saw each other for several years. We had to keep it a secret affair, because he was a taicho and I was a subordinate, and because I was noble and a future clan leader and he was peasant class. Renji, in all of that time, he never treated me with anything but kindness. We were deeply in love, very committed. I had no idea that it was all a lie. I had no idea that he had done this to control me, to keep me close to him, to make sure I did not remember."

His breath caught for a moment and he bit his lip lightly and pushed forward.

"I began to suffer from horrible nightmares, at least, I thought they were nightmares, but in reality, it was the truth breaking through his powers of illusion. He wanted to stop it, so he planned to drug me, to keep me drugged, so that I would not remember what I had seen and what he had told me. But when he left the room to make tea, I followed. I overheard him talking to Gin on his soul communicator. He said that I was remembering and that he had to stop me. He admitted to having seduced he to silence me…and he said…"

Byakuya stopped, his face going nearly white. Renji placed a hand on his and squeezed his gently.

"He said that I was a wonderful lover, that he would miss me, but that when the time came for them to reveal themselves and leave, he would kill me, rather than have me know the truth about what he had done, about how badly he had used me, about what a fool I was to trust him."

A tear broke free and rolled down the noble's porcelain cheek.

"I couldn't make sense of it. In all honesty, there had never been any sign, nothing to indicate that he was being anything but truthful, that he loved me any less than he seemed to. Renji, in all of the time we were together, I never felt anything but loved. He took away the feelings of loneliness I felt after losing my parents. He eased the pressure of my being prepared to lead the Kuchiki clan. We never once fought, not until that night. I tried to run, but as I ran, he used his zanpakuto and took the knowledge from my mind again. I knew not to return to him, but I couldn't remember what had passed between us. I went on with my life."

He paused and took a slow breath.

"I wanted to get away, so I took an assignment in Inuzuri. And while I was there, I met Hisana. I was injured in a battle, and I stayed with her while I was healing. We became friends and when it came time to leave, I was worried for my friend and could not bear to leave her behind. I was not in love with her, though I did love her as a friend. I married her to give her a better life and I was devastated when she sickened and died, but I did not realize, Renji, that her death was not due to any illness, as we all thought. Aizen poisoned her and he then concealed it. I never knew, not until I was his prisoner in Las Noches. It all came back to me that day at Sokyoku Hill. When Aizen saw that I had sacrificed myself to save Rukia, he gave me back the memories. He wanted me to know, and he wanted me to follow him. And because I wanted so badly to kill him, I went to Las Noches, willingly accepting the use of the garganta. He offered to simply allow me to join him there…I could do that…or I could attack him and die. I chose to attack and failed to kill him. When I woke, he had placed the bands and charms on me. They were a way to bring me back to him. He wanted me back, Renji. He still wants me back. And he won't stop until he has me at his side and makes my memories of who he truly is disappear forever. When you broke in and rescued me, he was about to completely erase my memory of what he had done. And there was great risk that it might have destroyed my mind. He didn't care. He wanted me and he was willing to risk that to have my heart again."

Weakness swept suddenly over him and his body sagged and dropped forward. He felt unexpected warmth around him and realized with a start that Renji had moved forward and had taken him carefully into those strong, tanned arms. He knew he should pull away, but couldn't let go. It was such a relief to have said the words, to have bled off some of the long repressed pain. He let his head rest against Renji's shoulder and sighed deeply. Warm fingers stroked his hair and an arm tightened around his exhausted body.

"What happens now, Renji?" he asked softly, "What are we going to do?"

Renji held him tightly, protectively.

"I don't know yet, Taicho," he told Byakuya, "but I am going to help you. And it won't just be me…Urahara, Yoruichi, Ichigo, Rikichi…we all want to help you. We will make sure your name is cleared, Taicho. And we will keep you away from that murderous bastard, no matter what it takes."


	14. Promises

**Chapter 14: Promises**

Byakuya rested quietly in the warmth of Renji's arms, lost in the dark brown eyes and honest, affectionate expression. He had thought he would never again trust anyone, let alone Renji, who had already once betrayed him. He wondered if it was, indeed, as Aizen Sousuke had said, if he was too broken to trust that way again. But he found himself wanting to.

He just couldn't get those words out of his mind…

I understand something about you that you have not yet discovered. By taking away your ability to trust anyone and by removing the ones you love from your life, I have left you with no one else you can turn to for love. Think, Byakuya, you know this to be true. There is no one left who you can trust…and you love no one. You are lonely and empty inside. Whether or not you know it, you still belong to me, and when you realize how isolated you are, one way or another, you will return to me.

"I don't want to be alone," he whispered, barely restraining the tears that burned at the corners of his eyes.

Warm lips touched his and he felt Renji's breath touch lightly on his skin.

"You aren't alone, Taichou," came the soft reply, "I won't let you be alone."

"You don't understand," he said, his chest heaving softly and his thoughts spinning, "He fooled me so completely that I still can't find anyplace he ever made a slip or gave any sign. And all of that time that you were with me before, you did the same. You stood at my back, acting as though you protected me, but you were just waiting for a chance to…"

"Yes," Renji admitted, touching his face, "I was dishonest with you, and I won't ever be able to make that go away. But we can try to move past that."

"You hated me," Byakuya said miserably, "but you walked into the sixth division day after day, performing your duties to the letter, smiling, making tea, all as though you were my fukutaicho, one who protected me, someone who might actually have cared about me. I saw the loyalty you had for your friends, loyalty so strong that you would have died for any of them. But that loyalty never extended to me."

He took a slow, agonized breath.

"And the hardest part is that I made the mistake of thinking that it did. I began to depend on you. You made me feel safe everywhere we went. But all the while I wrapped myself in that feeling of safety, you hated me, wanted to hurt me, and planned to attack me. It was like…"

"No," Renji said, his voice still quiet, but insistent, "I'm not like him. I did betray you, but I realized how wrong I was to do that, and I want to make things right between us again. You need someone to take care of you, to watch your back, to keep Aizen Sousuke from getting to you again. I can do that. But I can only do that if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, to somehow trust me again. You trusted me enough to tell me the truth. It's only one step further to trust in my feelings for you. I swear to you, Taicho, I no longer want to hurt you. I want to protect you with all of my heart. I want to keep that bastard far away from you. And I want to look into your eyes and see you look back at me with trust."

"I don't know if that's possible," Byakuya whispered, closing his eyes, "I don't know what is real and what isn't anymore. He meant for it to be that way, Renji, for me to be isolated because he stole away my ability to trust, and he said that because I have no ability to trust, I will go back to him."

"But I know you won't do that. You despise him, Taicho. You tried to kill him and you would do it again."

"I…" he said, stopping and staring wide-eyed at the redhead.

"Taicho," Renji said, his eyes growing worried, "you…don't still love him, do you?"

Byakuya buried his face in Renji's shoulder, breathing in that warm, calm scent.

"I…love the man I thought he was," Byakuya whispered, white-faced, "but that is a person who never existed. Still, he uses that face to confuse me, to pull me back in his direction, to try to overpower me. And I am not immune to that."

"Then anchor yourself here," Renji said, holding him tightly, "He is trying to force you to go to him. Don't let that happen. Yes, I betrayed you once, but I have opened my heart to you. During our battle, I told you everything. There is no more reason for me to be dishonest with you. And I have lost my hatred, Taicho. Your choice to put Rukia's life before your own won me over and now all I want is for you to be able to trust me again, to make myself the fukutaicho that I should have been all along. Let me do that. Let me protect you."

Byakuya met the dark brown eyes searchingly.

"And you should know," the redhead went on, the brown eyes locked on his, "You were never unsafe with me, Taicho, never. I wanted to be strong enough to defeat you, to feel that I was worthy of seeking Rukia's friendship again. I would never have let anything reach you, because to fail to protect you would have meant I had failed in my quest to grow stronger. I did not leave your back unguarded for a moment, but carefully shielded you. And although at the time, I did this to prepare to fight you myself, even had I decided to attack you, I would not have used stealth. Had I been strong enough, I would have challenged you openly, as I did when you stopped me from trying to save Rukia."

He brought his face close to Byakuya's, looking into the noble's troubled expression.

"I am nothing like Aizen Sousuke, Taicho. I would never use a person's own emotions to destroy him, never."

Byakuya sighed softly and nodded.

"No," he said softly, "I have never known you to do a thing like that, not even when you turned on me. Even when you attacked me, everything you felt was placed out in the open. Our battle was an honest one. I should have considered that before likening you to him."

"You were betrayed by both of us," Renji said quietly, "It's understandable that you would not waste time considering the differences in what each betrayal looked like. And I will understand if you feel you can't trust me. But I want you to know you _can_ trust me. I do care for you and I won't let him hurt you. I will protect you, Taicho."

"I think that you do not seek simply to protect me, Renji. Your eyes tell me that you want something more than that. And I don't know if I can give you what you want. You might be happier abandoning this, accepting a transfer, getting away from me altogether."

"But that's not what I want, Taicho," Renji said, kissing him more firmly, "I won't pressure you, but I will tell you that I know I'm falling in love with you. And knowing that, no transfer or attempt to stay away from you is going to be enough. I can't change the way I've come to feel for you. And even if you can't return that feeling, I won't run away from it."

Renji's words echoed in his mind.

_I know I'm falling in love with you._

"Taicho?"

Aizen's words followed and a glacial feeling entered his blood.

…by removing the ones you love from your life, I have left you with no one else you can turn to for love.

"I can't…"

Renji's eyes closed slowly, but Byakuya had already seen the hurt. He took Renji's face in both hands and rested his forehead against his.

"It's not because I don't trust you."

The brown eyes opened and regarded his hopefully.

"It's because he has already taken my parents and he took Hisana as well. He came after Rukia."

He took a careful breath.

"And he will come after you."

He looked into the redhead's relieved expression and yielded the absolute truth.

"And I could not bear to lose you, not while I could stop it."

Renji gazed back at him silently for a long, breathless moment. Then he wrapped his arms around the noble and took him to the cave floor. Byakuya stared at him in surprise.

"Abarai!"

Renji grinned.

"Taicho, he's going to come after me, one way or another. And I intend to make sure that I thoroughly deserve it!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke stood quietly in the atrium, surrounded by beauty that resonated with what could only be his lover's power. Byakuya's presence was so achingly strong in this place that he could almost see the noble, lying asleep beneath the sakura tree, walking the trails or standing naked beneath the waterfall. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of sakura, imagining what it would be like when Byakuya returned.

Because he would…

The leader of the hollows resolved that he would leave the noble with no other choice.

"You sent for me?" asked Gin from the doorway.

He stepped further into the room and stood, watching Aizen carefully. The dark haired shinigami gazed quietly at the waterfall.

"You made the bands and charms. You knew their exact nature, Gin."

Gin nodded.

"But when you asked for them, you didn't exactly give me time for a full explanation of them. In your haste to chase down Byakuya, it seems you gave no real consideration to their intricacies."

"Don't test my patience. I know that I don't control the bands and charms any longer. So, what I want you to tell me is, who does?"

Gin smiled.

"That is easily surmised," he said, by way of explanation, "You were his master and he was your slave, though oddly, you did not make the use of that I thought you would. Truly a waste of such a beautiful body, but I'm sure Grimmjow will give you a full report, if asked."

Aizen's glare made him take a step back.

"Sorry," he said, none too penitently, "didn't mean to touch a sore spot."

"Get on with your explanation."

Gin nodded.

"The only ways to transfer mastership are for another to defeat you in battle…"

"…which did not happen," Aizen said, his tone impatient.

"…which did not happen," agreed Gin, "or he could be rescued by one who would then become his new master."

"Master and Slave," mused Aizen, "What a lovely game, Gin. So tell me, if Byakuya was saved by that group, does the group become his master?"

"No," said Gin, smiling, "That honor would be reserved for the one most responsible for physically taking him from you."

A slow, deadly smile crawled across Aizen's face.

"Abarai Renji," he mused, "Oh, that _is_ amusing, though I almost would have preferred a greater challenge."

"So you'll be going after him?" Gin asked, grinning widely.

"What do you think?" Aizen said softly, "But I will give this careful thought, first. I want him to suffer for defying me."

"Who, Abarai?" asked Gin.

"No, Byakuya," Aizen said, his eyes glinting, "I want to make losing Abarai Renji as painful a lesson as possible for him. The more it hurts, the less likely he will be to try to leave me again."

Gin nodded.

"But it will be an intricate dance," he said, turning his eyes to the night sky above them, "You have to be sure that you reach them before they activate the moon charm…or all is lost. You will lose him and never regain his heart."

"Then, as you say, we will move quickly, but first we must prepare, and I think I know just how."

"And how is that?" Gin asked curiously.

"Prepare a cell with all of your best toys."

Gin's eyes lit up.

"You're going to let me torture Byakuya?" he said, his eyes wide with surprise and elation.

Aizen smiled.

"I am going to let you torture Abarai Renji then, after he is dead, Byakuya."

He turned his eyes to the crescent moon that lit the skies over them.

"He will never defy me again and he will never leave me. He will give me everything I want from him and then, when he has been completely broken, when he begs me to end his wretched life, I will take him there slowly and with great amounts of pain. And when he is gone, I will never give my heart to anyone, not ever again."

Gin lowered his eyes from watching the moon and looked instead at the dark haired shinigami who stood, reiatsu flaring painfully and face carefully composed. The smile had faded from Gin's face, as even had his joy at hearing that he would be allowed to torment the two who were such a bother to his leader. He hardly dared to say the words, but someone had to.

"You were really in love with him, weren't you?" he whispered, reaching out and gingerly touching him on the arm, "You were telling the truth when you said you couldn't have gone through with killing him when we left. And the only reason you want so badly to kill him now is because you can't get him back and you can't get him out of your heart. I will help you torment and kill him if that's what you want. But, Sousuke, it isn't going to make you stop loving him, and killing him might put you in even greater torment."

Aizen's eyes rose to meet his with an unreadable expression.

"You're protecting Byakuya?" he said, sounding surprised.

Gin shook his head.

"I am protecting you," he said quietly, "after all, without you, we will not overthrow the spirit king."

Aizen managed a slow smile.

"That's not why you're trying to protect me."

"No," Gin admitted, moving closer.

"But you know I still love Byakuya, that I may choose to keep him alive once he is here."

"But that does not mean there is no room in your heart for more than one," offered Gin, smiling.

"Gin," whispered Aizen, reaching out and pulling the silver haired shinigami in close, "What a lovely sentiment. I am truly touched."

"I had hoped you would be," Gin replied, capturing Aizen's lips and caressing them gently with his.

He even managed a small, pleased laugh as Aizen threw him down under the tree and tore away his clothes, the strong, power-filled body claiming his roughly. He loved to see Aizen Sousuke this way, coldly calculating, blazing with bold reiatsu and relentless passion, ready to level anything that stood in his way. They was why he had put himself in the man's path purposely, and why it didn't matter if it hurt, only that they were together like this, their bodies raging recklessly against each other and the reiatsu burning all around them with the heat of a small sun.

_This love is its own kind of perfection._


	15. Mastery of Desires

**Chapter 15: Mastery of Desires**

"_Abarai!"_

_Renji grinned._

"Taicho…he's going to come after me, one way or another. And I intend to make sure that I thoroughly deserve it!"

"And what makes you think I'll let you do that?" asked Byakuya, reacting more from surprise than coherent thought.

Renji's smile widened.

"This does…"

He lowered his mouth and fastened it firmly on Byakuya's, stealing his breath and making his eyes drift closed and his body shiver with the impact. He thrust his tongue between the startled noble's lips and plunged into his mouth hungrily. Byakuya's hands tightened almost painfully on his shoulders, but he only shifted his body and held the noble down more firmly. He paused for a moment, meeting the dark, fierce gray eyes warmly.

"You are not getting away from me, Taicho…not this time," he whispered against Byakuya's parted lips.

"Did you think that I look as though I planned to run?" asked the trapped noble, "And shouldn't you be asking yourself if you ought not to take my opinion into account, considering the cost if the sakura charm decides I am unwilling?"

Renji laughed softly.

"You're not unwilling. You want this as much as I do. I know you. I know that expression and the emotions underneath it, even if you do manage to hide them. You can lie to the rest of the world and you just might convince them all…but you can't lie to me."

Byakuya wanted to bristle at the suggestion…to casually brush off the idea that anyone could possibly know him that well…could be that close to the person he dared not show to the world. But what made Renji different was that when he looked at Byakuya, his eyes sank down beneath the person at the surface, the carefully crafted image of intense calm, intimidating power, formidable strength. He saw past the quiet, refined noble at the surface, to the more passionate spirit resting underneath. And while being seen and recognized like that by anyone else would have been threatening, there was no threat in these affectionate brown eyes, nothing but healing in these warm hands, nothing but safety being held close to that one with whom he had grown so accustomed to sharing space.

He seemed so different from the angry, belligerent young man who had met him in battle and refused to back down, even when he was at the end of his strength. And the one he had focused all of his protection on was Byakuya's own sister, who Byakuya himself had failed in every way. And while it was true that he had sought to best Byakuya, his desire to grow stronger was not fueled by hatred, but by his affection for Rukia. Besting Byakuya had been the only way he could regain his connection with his childhood friend. In truth, Byakuya hadn't been the object of Renji's hatred…just an obstacle he threw himself against again and again so that he could grow stronger. And, Byakuya decided, there was certainly nothing overwhelmingly wrong in that.

"Please, say something, Taicho," Renji said, touching his face, "I want to know what you are thinking."

Byakuya smirked.

"I thought you knew me, Abarai Renji," he said, allowing himself to look more deeply into the redhead's eyes.

Renji chuckled softly and brought his lips back to Byakuya's. This time there was no hesitation in the noble's expression or in his body as he held on to Renji's shoulders and met him open-mouthed for another intense bout of kissing. Renji's body settled on top of his and he could feel the hard swell of his fukutaicho's arousal beneath his clothes. He thrust his hips upward against that hot place, creating sweet, dizzying friction and making Renji gasp and widen his eyes. Now, it was the redhead who was left breathless.

"T-taicho…damn, that feels good!" he stammered, thrusting into that warm, willing body and feeling it strain towards him in return. Byakuya's hand sought the tie at his waist, but Renji's hand caught his and the redhead placed a soft kiss on his palm.

"Please…allow me, Taicho…"

Byakuya gazed up at Renji as he slowly released the tie and let the shihakusho top open. The redhead sat back for a moment, letting his eyes run over the soft, pale skin of the noble's body, then he smiled and proceeded to undress Byakuya slowly, not touching yet, but studying him intently, with hungry brown eyes as he carefully folded and set aside his clothing. Finally, Byakuya sat, fully naked in front of a fully clothed Renji, not quite meeting his eyes and a soft blush rising on his skin.

"You're beautiful, Taicho," Renji said appreciatively, causing the noble's blush to deepen.

"Abarai…"

"Shh…just let me look at you."

He leaned forward and sank his fingers into the silken lengths of black hair and raised the noble's eyes so they were looking into his. The wide gray eyes seemed wider and more questioning as he met them with warmth and affection. To Renji, he looked significantly younger and more vulnerable with everything stripped away and laid bare.

And for Byakuya, there was nothing but honesty in that calm, curious face that moved closer to his. The hot, sweet lips took his and sent heat all through him. He hardly noticed that he was falling back, then carefully caught and eased again to the cave floor.

"Renji," he said softly, "I feel a bit odd being naked when you're not. Are you planning to make love to me with your clothes still on?"

"No, Taicho," Renji assured him, "I will undress, but I want to enjoy looking at you, touching you, first."

Byakuya felt the ground give way beneath him as Renji leaned over him, feeding him kisses and letting his free hand play over the noble's chest and shoulder. He made a line of kisses up the fine jawline, then nuzzled beneath an ear, teasing him with a probing tongue and nipping at his earlobe. Byakuya turned his head to meet the redhead's mouth for several more heated kisses, and thrust his hips upward into Renji's, causing the redhead to hiss softly with delight at the pleasing friction. His heart quivered as he looked into the noble's eyes and saw his initial shyness melting away. The dark eyes now radiated passion and the body beneath him moved against his as though starving for his touch. Byakuya's hand touched his face and Renji was startled by the fact that the sakura charm had begun to glow.

"Should I be worried about that, Taicho?" he asked nervously as the glow became gradually brighter.

The sakura charm began to pulsate softly and as the two stared, the moon charm lit from within as well. Byakuya stared at the charms, curiously.

"I think you're safe," he commented, touching each charm lightly, "They didn't act this way before. They just turned the attackers to ash."

"Ah…well…excuse me if I'm still a bit spooked."

Byakuya gave him an amused smirk.

"Are you afraid, Abarai?" he asked, "Would you prefer that I become the aggressor, so that you don't have to fear being turned to ash?"

Renji laughed softly.

"No, there's no way I'm missing a chance to get to see you like this!"

He took hold of one pale wrist and studied the softly glowing moon charm.

"Taicho," he said, shifting, "Is it just me…or is that charm starting to fade?"

Byakuya looked more closely.

"You are right. The edge is beginning to fade…like when the moon in the sky has reached fullness and begins to wane. It happens in phases. I wonder if this charm is made that way as well."

"It seemed to respond to the sakura charm when we started to get close to making love," Renji observed.

"So," Byakuya went on, "perhaps it will continue to fade as we continue to…connect."

He studied the charms again and noted the pulsation in the sakura charm.

"These bands and charms give you mastery over me. And if you are master, we must assume that you are meant to lead."

He looked up at the redhead.

"I think as we continue, you should keep that in mind."

Renji gave him a charming smile, but didn't dare laugh.

"Did you just give me permission to…"

He was stopped by the hard pressure of Byakuya's mouth capturing his, and hands that pulled him down again. He sank into the depths of the noble's perfect mouth, thrusting his tongue inside and sliding it teasingly along Byakuya's. Byakuya moaned lightly into his mouth and Renji felt a shiver go through both of them. He dove on the sweet, white flesh of his taicho's throat, alternating nips and long, slow licks, feeling the swell of reaction in the body that writhed beneath his. He took hold of the noble's wrists, holding them down on either side of his head and teasing the skin of face and throat until Byakuya moaned impatiently and tried to pull free.

"Hey, remember who's master, here," Renji chuckled, releasing his wrists.

Byakuya grew calm again as Renji ran his hands lightly over his chest and gently mouthed the erect nipples until the noble's body quivered beneath his and Byakuya gave a threatening hiss of pleasure. He knew better than to tease anymore and crawled down Byakuya's body, touching and tasting his way down the slender, delicate looking torso and sinking his tongue into the noble's navel. Byakuya caught his breath and shivered again. Renji turned his head and watched as drops of pearly fluid leaked warningly from the tip of a very aroused member. He lifted his head and gave the noble a cute smirk, then curled his fingers around the soft sac at the base of his erection. Byakuya quivered and moaned more hungrily, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Renji could feel Byakuya's eyes on him as he slowly tormented this part of Byakuya that he'd never dreamed he'd have permission to touch. His eyes drifting nearly closed, but still watching Byakuya's face, he sank down and felt the thrill it sent through the length of his lover's body. He ached to stop and tell Byakuya how beautiful he looked with his back arched and his face alive with desire like that, but he knew if he stopped now, Byakuya would regain control of himself and the lovely moment would end too soon. Instead, he began a slow, intense up and down motion, keeping his eyes fixed on the noble's face and enjoying each twinge of pleasure, each graceful move and catch of his breath. He realized then that he had never seen Byakuya surrender to his desires in such a way, and that realization made him want to see his beautiful taicho lose control completely.

He sucked hard, dragging a cry of delight from the noble's parted lips. And while he was distracted, Renji slipped his fingers into his lover's mouth and teased his tongue into motion. The noble's tongue curled around each finger in turn, slowly bathing them in saliva. Renji pulled them free of the noble's heated mouth, still watching his face as he slid them down the long, white torso.

"Tell me you're not going to take me still dressed like that," Byakuya panted.

Renji's lips curled into a smile.

"Why?" he asked softly, "Do you want to see more?"

"Am I only allowed to see?"

Renji's smile widened.

"I think I might consent to be touched as well," he whispered hotly into the noble's ear.

The look he received in return was deadly. Renji pulled free of the noble and sat back, pulling Byakuya along with him. Finally freed to do as he liked, he first leaned forward and let his fingers trace the tattoos on Renji's forehead, then the ones that ran down the sides and back of his neck. He brought his lips to the same places and moved over them again, this time kissing and tasting his way lightly along the edges. He paused for a moment, looking deeply into the dark brown eyes of his lover and released the tie at his waist. He continued to move slowly, easing Renji's clothing out of the way as face and throat and shoulders were lovingly explored. He pushed back more of the material and watched as Renji's eyes closed and he fell back, his breath shortening and his eyes glazing over with arousal as Byakuya continued to pleasure his body.

Renji watched as the noble's blissful face continued, almost smiling, the perfect lips following the slender, tracing fingers over his heaving breast and stopping to pleasure the darker toned and beautifully erect nipples, then moving over the softened abdomen and pausing to dip into the depths of his navel. Renji was taken by surprise at just how good it felt to have that skillful tongue slip into such an odd place and create a sensation he hadn't experienced before. He moaned the noble's name and raised his hips hungrily, waiting impatiently for that lovely mouth to move lower.

It was so overwhelming, he almost forgot who was 'master.'

He almost came at just the touch of his lovers fingers on his sac, the brush of lips against his weeping memeber, and the soft sigh that his lover emitted before sinking down on him and sending his mind into a long, drawn out spiral. The noble's fingers tightened at the base of his swollen arousal, holding Renji poised on the edges of madness as the devilishly mobile tongue teased him so mercilessly, he could have cried at how good it felt. He gave a sobbing gasp as he was suddenly freed from the noble's hot mouth. He caught his breath again as Byakuya gently mouthed each side of his sac in turn, then returned to his swollen member, still holding it tightly at the base and subjecting it to a long, slow lick as the dark eyes fastened on his and his hands moved to tear the rest of Renji's clothes away.

Unable to bear the sweet torment anymore, Renji shifted suddenly, overturning the noble and bringing him down onto his back and trapping him again. He met the dark, hazy eyes warmly and calmly wet his fingers again in the mouth that had so recently pleasured him. He returned to Byakuya's mouth, plunging inside and enjoying their mingled tastes as his hand slid down between their sweating bodies and found the noble's waiting entrance. He took his time, preparing Byakuya carefully as his mouth continued to sweetly feed on the noble's and Byakuya's hands explored the planes and curves of his body, before finding his aching arousal and teasing it until he couldn't stand it any longer. Their eyes meeting, and highly aware of the brightly glowing sakura and moon charms, Renji brought his head to Byakuya's entrance and slowly pushed inside.

Renji had never felt anything so deliciously tight wrap around him like that before. A heavy groan escaped him and it took every bit of self control he had not to climax right then. He tightened his fingers almost painfully around his throbbing erection and panted heavily, very aware that his lover was looking back at him and wearing a wicked smirk.

"What's wrong, Renji?" he said, gently taunting the redhead, "Can't handle the heat?"

Renji's soft laughter broke the tension and his body relaxed against Byakuya's. Slowly, he felt his control restored and then, watching his lover's face, he began to move. He knew he wouldn't last long and from the tension in the noble's body, he thought Byakuya likely wouldn't either. He thrust in, deep and hard, adjusting his body until his thrusting member found the center of pleasure inside his lover and struck it repeatedly until Byakuya made a sound of ecstasy and his body shuddered heavily against Renji's. Renji forced himself in as deeply as he could and held himself hard against the noble's quaking body as hot pulses of fluid burst out of him, filling his lover and leaving both shaking and exhausted.

"Kami, Taicho!" Renji panted happily, "I don't think I can move anymore!"

Byakuya didn't answer.

Renji opened his eyes and saw the noble staring at his wrists. As they watched with stunned eyes, the sakura and snake charms slowly disappeared, and the band left without charms suddenly shattered.


	16. Noble Gift

**Chapter 16: Noble Gift**

Aizen Sousuke sighed softly and opened his eyes. Gin still slept quietly on his bare chest, his lips smiling. He had to wonder at the willingness of the enigmatic shinigami to accept that he might never get over Byakuya. His body, though so recently pleasured, still ached for the lovely noble, still remembered how it felt to slip his favorite dark red yukata off his shoulders, to pull Byakuya onto his lap as he knelt and to look into that sweet, quiet expression as that wonderful tightness wrapped around him and Byakuya's soft, incoherent moans filled the air. He wasn't one who usually fell into melancholy. If there was a problem…or if there was something he wanted, Aizen Sousuke was a man of action. But he had taken all of the action he could…and now Byakuya was poised on the verge of binding himself to Abarai Renji. And the earlier flare of the moon charm could only have meant that Byakuya had allowed himself to be taken by Renji. It wasn't yet the end of things, but it was the beginning of the end, to be sure.

He wished fervently that he had made surer of killing the tattooed redhead while he had the chance. The thought of anyone touching his Byakuya made him furious…

"Not able to sleep?" Gin asked softly.

Aizen shook his head.

"I imagine that I don't need to ask why," the silver haired shinigami said in a sympathetic voice, "but as you need to sleep if you are to be useful…why don't you just use your zanpakuto to make you see him while you fuck me? I don't actually mind…on occasion."

The thought of Aizen looking into his eyes as he had with Byakuya made him hard again in an instant.

Aizen frowned and sighed.

"But that is just a temporary fix," he complained softly, "You know that I would give just about anything to be able to forget him entirely."

"I know that," Gin said, kissing him warmly, "but you won't be able to do that until the moon charm has completed its fading and Byakuya is either Abarai's, yours…or he is dead."

Aizen furrowed his brow and looked more closely at his silver-haired lover.

"Gin…" he said, his voice calm, but curious, "would you kindly explain to me again, exactly how that last charm works?"

Gin lifted himself and straddled Aizen's slender body, sinking down on his hardened member.

"Let's make an agreement," Gin said, smiling widely, "You give me something I like and I will tell you anything you want to know…just try to pay closer attention this time…if you can!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya woke before Renji and found himself warmly encircled by the redhead's arms. It was, he decided, a very pleasant place to be. He couldn't help but enjoy the sweet smile that Renji wore, even in his sleep…and it felt good to be embraced in such a way after being alone for such a long time. It had taken more than a few joinings to sate his long-submerged passions. But Renji certainly hadn't complained. And it hadn't seemed to matter who was dominant and who submitted. In the end, they had fallen into a state of balance…both content to lead or follow, depending on which way they felt moved. It was _so_ wonderfully different from the other aspects of his life. Always, the burden of leadership had seemed to fall on him. Not that he minded being called to lead clan and division, but some part of him wanted to be taken and forcefully held…brought down in his tracks and lovingly dominated. And Renji had briefly abandoned his role as subordinate several times during the night to offer him that. And now, his body was practically glowing with contentedness.

The one concern dampening that emotion was their concern over the bands and charms. Although one band had shattered, the band holding the slowly fading moon charm was still in place. And as much as they had their ideas about what it could mean, they still did not have answers…and answers were necessary if they were going to find a way to free him. Because he knew that it couldn't be as simple as waiting for the moon charm to fade all of the way. That it was disappearing slowly, suggested that something either was happening or needed to happen within a set amount of time. And the clock was ticking. Having exhausted the bulk of their theories, they had agreed to return to Karakura Town to present their concerns to Urahara Kisuke.

Byakuya flinched even thinking of the name. He knew it was somewhat childish, but he didn't think he was ever going to be able to completely forgive the outcast taicho for stealing Yoruichi away from him. Because despite how he had acted as a teen, Yoruichi had been a shelter of sorts as the demands of nobility had begun to settle over him, gradually stealing away his innocence and his freedom. She had seemed to understand that weight all too well, being heir to the Shihoin clan…but then, just like that, she had abandoned her clan and everything else to disappear with Kisuke. And while he reasoned that she must have had sufficient cause, he was annoyed that Kisuke had not managed to keep himself out of trouble.

He realized, of course, that such a view was decidedly hypocritical, considering his scandalous affair with Aizen Sousuke and the current unpleasantness, but even so…he had been carefully manipulated into his current position…Kisuke seemed to seek trouble! Byakuya shook his head, trying to stop himself from thinking about it. As uncomfortable as he felt around Kisuke, the man was a gifted scientist and strategist. If anyone could figure out the mystery of the moon charm, he could. So bearing his annoying goads was something Byakuya was willing to make peace with…as long as Kisuke didn't push him too far…

The noble turned and planted a gentle kiss on the sleeping redhead's lips, then gradually worked his way free of Renji's body. Shivering with cold, he moved to the cooled stone and heated it again with his kido, then set water over it for making tea. Renji was still sleeping deeply when the tea was ready, so the noble sat quietly near him, sipping the tea and studying his lover's handsome and very contented face as the cave warmed.

When he had finished the tea, Byakuya dressed beside the hot stone and put on his cloak before venturing out of the cave. He was more wary this time and was careful to reach out with his senses from time to time to make certain no one approached. But all seemed quiet this morning and that gave Byakuya time to think.

He looked down at the moon charm, noting the very slow rate of its fading. If, as he suspected, there was something that would happen over time or something he must do…then whatever that was seemed to be something that required a certain _amount_ of time. But the other charms had had physical effects that went along with the other effects, so probably this one did as well…and that thought disturbed the noble more than a little. He had asked Renji to carefully scan him and document everything notable they could think of…physically, mentally, emotionally and power-wise. If there were changes, he hoped they would be able to sense them. Whatever symptoms arose could lead them to the elusive answers. At least, he hoped that they would…

"Are you wandering off again, Taicho?" Renji said from somewhere behind him, "You're going to find trouble if you keep running off."

"I dare say I'm in quite enough 'trouble' as it is, Abarai. Town ruffians hardly seem noteworthy compared to the threats of Aizen Sousuke…or of being captured by the secret mobile corps."

"Yeah," Renji said, slipping an arm around him and capturing his lips warmly, "but in the present situation, they are the ones you are most likely to meet."

"Not to worry," said Byakuya, "I am using greater caution."

"Good to know," Renji chuckled, "I've already had to save you from being sexually assaulted twice…three times if you count Aizen Sousuke holding you in Las Noches, cause you and I both know where it would have gone if we hadn't gotten you out of there."

"Yes…then you managed to find reason to indulge in me, yourself, didn't you. Sweet repayment for the heroic rescues, ne?"

Renji squeezed him affectionately.

"Taicho, I could rescue you a hundred times and still not feel worthy of indulging like that! I feel like doing Ikkaku's 'lucky dance,' you know?"

Byakuya had to fight to keep himself from smiling.

"Well…as 'lucky' as you may feel, we are still tasked with figuring out what this last charm does. We need to focus on that. I want you to do another scan on me and tell me if you see any differences, no matter how small, in any of the areas we noted last night."

Renji nodded and released him. Byakuya knelt and Renji knelt in front of him, placing his hands on the noble's face and gazing down into his eyes as his reiatsu rose and wrapped around the two of them. The reiatsu field glowed softly around them as the redhead focused on each zone of his body.

"Everything seems pretty much the same as last night," Renji concluded, "except there was a small, but detectable fluctuation in your power level. It's a very small lowering of power, but you said to mention anything I found, however small."

Byakuya's brow furrowed.

"So…it looks as though I might be losing my powers?" he mused softly, "Renji, I need to know if this is true. I will need to summon Senbonzakura."

"But that could bring the secret mobile corps down on us. Look, why don't we wait on that. Let's go back and have some breakfast, then we can pack up and start back on our way to Kisuke's shop."

Byakuya nodded silently and followed Renji back to the cave.

He remained quiet and pensive as the two ate and despite feeling more than a little inclined to accept the redhead's invitation for 'one more round' before leaving, he was too involved in his worries to be distracted, and starting to fall into melancholy. Even Renji's cheerfulness couldn't seem to lift his mood. Renji sensed his discomfort and grew quiet in response. He quickly cleaned up the cave and readied their packs, then followed silently as Byakuya left the cave and started back towards town.

"You okay?" he asked as they walked along the dusty and deserted road, "You seem to be pretty out of sorts. I was wondering if that was an effect of the moon charm or if it was just you processing things."

"The latter, I think," Byakuya said, "There are just so many questions to consider. I don't know where to begin…and all of the questions just seem to lead in circles."

"Hmm," said Renji, nodding, "I'm feeling that way too. But…uh…maybe I can distract you for a moment. I have to ask you something…something personal."

Byakuya's eyes met his questioningly.

Renji gathered himself.

"Okay, I get that I'm the master in this little game with Aizen's bands and charms and that what we did last night was necessary…but…I was wondering…if it hadn't been for that, then would you have ever…you know, liked me?"

Byakuya caught his breath in surprise.

"Abarai…you think that I would have spent the entire night making love to you, simply to gain answers to the questions we had about my bonds? And before you answer, think about the number of times we were intimate and that we did alternate roles. Do you honestly…"

"Shit…sorry, Taicho, I wasn't trying to suggest that," Renji said, taking a step back from him, "I only meant…"

"I understand," Byakuya said quietly, "but I am a little surprised at the question. Perhaps you didn't hear me when I spoke in your ear as you were falling asleep?"

"Y-you…while I w-was falling asleep? What? I don't remember! Taicho, what did you say?"

A sly smile crept onto the noble's lips and he said nothing in answer to Renji's question.

"Aww, c'mon Taicho, that's not fair! What did you say?"

"Come now, Renji," he said calmly, "You know how I hate to repeat myself."

"You have to tell me, please, Taicho!"

"Perhaps tonight…maybe you'll listen more closely this time…"

Byakuya bit back a laugh as the redhead continued to fume about his unfairness.

They had reached the end of town, when they came upon a small, rundown cottage. They heard small sounds of whispers as they started to pass, then a young boy appeared on the trail ahead of them. He was small and thin, with wide blue eyes and tangled shoulder length black hair. He stood his ground as they approached, but had a shy, half-wild look in his eyes.

"Is one of you a healer?" he asked, "My sister is ill. She has a bad fever and she keeps having nightmares. I tried to keep her cool, but the fever she has is very bad."

Renji glanced at Byakuya and the noble nodded at the boy.

"Take us to her," he said gently, "If we cannot heal her, we will take her to the doctor in town."

The boy nodded, his eyes grateful. He led them into the cottage and to a cot in the bedroom. A slightly younger looking girl tossed and turned in the bed.

"Renji," Byakuya said quietly, "Your healing skills are better."

They knelt beside the bed and Renji slowly scanned the girl's sweat soaked body. Byakuya found a small pail of clean water and wet a cool sponge he used to gently wash her face.

"What do you sense?" he asked quietly.

"A small, parasitic hollow…nasty little bugger, but pretty common around here. Most of the folk have enough shielding to prevent them from getting in, but these little ones…"

"Can you heal her?"

Renji nodded.

"I ran into a lot of this, growing up here…"

"You grew up here?" the boy asked suddenly.

"Yeah," Renji said, smiling at the boy, "I lived here until I joined the shinigami academy."

The boy's dark eyes lit up hopefully.

"What was it like? Did you have strong powers? Can I see your zanpakuto?"

Renji laughed softly.

"Easy kid, I'm a little occupied healing your sister right now. We can tell stories later…"

"Did you go to the academy too?" the boy asked Byakuya, "Did you grow up here? How did you meet him? Which division are you guys in?"

"You seem to have a great deal of curiosity about the shinigamis…" Byakuya observed.

"Of course I do!" the child exclaimed, "My sister and I have wanted to be shinigamis all of our lives! Look, I've been practicing!"

The boy focused on his cupped hands and formed a round, glowing kido ball. Byakuya smiled and nodded in approval.

"With your reiatsu, you would be a good candidate, but you would have to be willing to work very hard."

"I know. I talk to the shinigamis who come to help the town sometimes…the nice ones, anyway. Sometimes they tell us cool stories."

"Do they?" said Byakuya.

"Uh-huh. Do you guys have any cool battle stories? Can you tell them to me?

"I suggest this," Byakuya offered, "Renji will finish healing your sister, then we will take you two to a safer place. After that, I will be happy to share some stories with you. My family in the Seireitei is the guardian of one of the largest libraries of history in the three worlds. I have read nearly every book there…and I would be happy to share some of them with you."

The boy's eyes widened.

"Y-you…you're not just a shinigami. You're a noble!"

He dropped to his knees and bowed.

"Sorry for not respecting you, sir!" he said loudly.

Byakuya laughed softly.

"Get up. You needn't do that. Just continue to help with your sister and I will consider that respect enough. Now then, give me your names."

The boy flushed.

"Um…I would, sir, but…we don't have any. I call her sister and she calls me brother. Everyone else just calls us 'girl' or 'boy.'

"Where are your parents?" Byakuya asked.

"I don't know," the boy said sadly, "We just woke up one day and they were gone. They never came back."

"Taicho," Renji said softly, meeting the noble's eyes, "You know that we can't stay here much longer. We can't take the chance on being found."

The boy gazed up at him with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Are you and the noble lord running away?" he cried, "Then you must be the criminals that the scary shinigamis wanted! You should leave. They have been here two times and searched our house. They're hanging around the town."

"That doesn't sound good," muttered Renji.

"Did you really commit a bad crime? Did someone frame you and that's why you're running away? Can I help you?"

"I'll tell you what," said Byakuya, his voice still warm, but betraying a hint of concern, "You and I will gather whatever you wish to bring and we will move to that safer place as soon as your sister is stabilized."

He met Renji's eyes worriedly, the two exchanging glances as the boy ran through the house, gathering the few things they owned and preparing to leave.


	17. Flight

**Chapter 17: Flight**

"Renji, are you sure about this?" Byakuya asked, looking down at the sleeping face of the girl he held in his arms.

"I'm telling you," Renji said with certainty, "The parasitic hollow's hold on her is stronger than I previously thought. She really needs Michio's help. He deals with this stuff all of the time. And the route we're taking is going to keep us out of the view of the patrol units, except for the time it takes to walk inside the building. But it's night, so we will have that cover."

"Very well," said Byakuya, "It does seem that this little one is in serious need of healing. So let's move quickly."

"Hai, Taicho."

They flash stepped through the darkness, each carrying one of the children. Byakuya held the little girl and Renji, the boy. The boy had gone quiet and was now dozing lightly in the redhead's arms. Renji looked down at him and couldn't quite contain a grin. Byakuya met his eyes and smiled faintly.

They reached the edge of town and Renji directed the noble into a heavily wooded area. Byakuya wasn't certain he liked the feel of the place. A dark presence watched from nearby, wary of their powers, but waiting for any sign of a weakness. Other presences skulked in the shadows, their dark reiatsu burning against the skin of the ones who passed. They were relieved when they finally reached the end of the woods and emerged beside a large field that led to the back of the buildings on one of the streets.

"That's Michio's building, there," Renji said, pointing, "He lives there with his wife…"

"Noa," Byakuya finished, smiling at the redhead's look of puzzlement, "Remember that it was in Inuzuri that Hisana found me when I was injured before. I met Michio and Noa then."

"Oh," said the redhead, leading Byakuya along the edge of the field, then around the side of the building.

They looked about carefully and were about to walk out onto the walkway outside the building, when Byakuya grabbed Renji's arm and pulled him back into the shadows. A moment later, two shinigamis emerged from an alley nearby and walked off down the street.

"Definitely squad two," Renji surmised.

"And if the regular troops are here, there may be secret mobile corps also in the area."

"They are really hot to get their hands on you, Taicho," Renji said, shaking his head, "I wonder why..."

"Well," said the noble, "I left the Seireitei and went to Las Noches, through an illegal garganta, and without getting clearance for any mission. I remained there for a time and returned through another garganta, after which I eluded squad two forces sent to question me and fled into the Rukongai. Does it really surprise you that they would assume that I had something to hide?"

"No," sighed the redhead, "I just wish I knew what to do. Now that you have told me everything, I could return with you and tell them everything you told me, and that you surrendered and cooperated completely. But...that moon charm..."

"Yes," agreed the noble, "We do not know its intricacies...only that it seems to be stealing my powers away. It is a malevolent thing and we don't know if, in fact, returning to the Seireitei might even activate some other function."

"Shit," breathed Renji, "You're right. We really don't know what will happen. So, maybe it would be best for me to just see you back to Kisuke's, then while he puzzles out the moon charm, I can go back and make a full report and try to get the second off your back with a promise you'll surrender once the function of that thing has been discovered."

"But you forget," Byakuya said softly, "You are 'master.' You must remain with me to make sure that if something goes wrong, we have the best chance of handling it."

"Hmmm..." mused, "That's going to be a problem."

"Well, let's puzzle it out later," Byakuya urged him, "This child needs medical help quickly. She is very ill."

"All right," Renji said, nodding, "Tell you what, can you carry both of them?"

"Yes, what do you have in mind?" Byakuya asked curiously, "Are you going to act as a distraction?"

"Yup," the redhead confirmed, "You take the rugrats and wait here. I'll cause a ruckus and you get inside as quickly as you can. I'll meet you in there later."

"Very well, just be careful not to go too far away. I do not know exactly how far is too far."

"Gotcha. Don't worry. It'll be fine."

Byakuya draped the sleeping boy over his other shoulder and watched as Renji slipped away. He waited silently in the darkness, breathing slowly and watching the area around the healer's front entry. He bit his lip gently, listening raptly, then flinched and blinked as the loud banging of garbage cans and a loud squealing roared in the air around him. He shrank further into the shadows as two men appeared ahead of him and headed in the direction Renji had gone. While the noise was still ringing, Byakuya flash stepped to the healer's door and knocked softly. To his relief, he heard footsteps inside and a voice sounded through the door.

"Who is that?" a man's voice asked.

"I am bringing injured children for healing," Byakuya said urgently, "The girl I am bringing was attacked by a parasitic hollow and needs immediate treatment."

There was a pause and Byakuya felt a soft swell of reiatsu touch him and the children he carried. He was grateful, not only for the fact that the door then opened, but that the healer was careful to keep his interior light off so as to avoid the attention of anyone who might be watching.

"Come in, come in," the old man invited him, taking the little girl from the noble's arms, "Ah, I know these two. Terrible shame they were left alone. I have been worried about them, but things have been so hard I couldn't do anything really."

He carried the girl into a bedroom and laid her in one small bed while Byakuya placed the sleeping boy in another. The old healer leaned over the girl, examining her carefully, then invoking his power as he looked more closely at Byakuya and his breath caught.

"Byakuya-sama!" he exclaimed, "Did you know there are troops in the town that are looking for you?"

"I am aware," Byakuya replied, smiling wearily as the healer's wife entered the room and nearly dropped the tray she was carrying.

"Byakuya-sama!"

"Hello, Noa-san," the noble greeted her politely, "Thank you both for assisting with these children. My fukutaicho and I found them near the edge of town. It seems they lost their parents and were left alone. The boy tried to help his sister, but she became too ill."

"An all too frequent story," Noa sighed, "But you shouldn't have taken the chance of coming here, Byakuya-sama. The soldiers have been here a few times. They could come back and find you here!"

"Well, it wouldn't have been right to simply leave the children to their fate," Byakuya reasoned, "I will be cautious. Renji and I will be all right."

"Renji?" the old woman mused, "You don't mean Abarai Renji?"

"One and the same," Byakuya confirmed, "It seems that Renji grew up with the missing sister that Hisana was looking for all of those years. You remember, perhaps, a girl named Rukia?"

"Yes! Yes, I do!" exclaimed Noa, "I had no idea at all that she was Hisana-san's missing sister. How strange you all found each other. But it was sad to hear of Hisana-san's passing. Did she and Rukia-chan get to meet?"

"Sadly, no," Byakuya explained, "I did not find Rukia until one year after Hisana's passing. But Rukia was pleased to learn more about her sister."

"How are Rukia-chan and Renji-kun? I know they are grown and that the were going to enter the academy, but..."

"They did enter the academy, but Rukia left to join my family. Renji graduated and eventually became my fukutaicho."

"But, my boy, how did you get into such trouble with the secret mobile corps? Why are they after you?"

Byakuya sighed softly, his eye straying to where Michio sat, treating the two children.

"It is complicated," he answered, shaking his head, "But in short, the secret mobile corps has been sent because the Gotei 13 is convinced that I am an agent of Aizen Sousuke."

"What? That's not possible! You would never...!"

"I would never join him in his betrayal of everyone and I certainly wouldn't betray the Gotei 13 and my own kin by working with him. But...when I was younger, I was seduced by him and we had a relationship that lasted until just before I left for my assignment in Inuzuri. Unfortunately, although I learned about his plans back then, he used his powers to take my memory of it and I did not remember until very recently. I went to Hueco Mundo to confront him, but the Gotei discovered that I traveled there on Aizen's invitation, and now they want to apprehend me because they fear I have defected. I swear to you that I haven't."

"Oh, I believe you, Byakuya-sama!" Noa insisted.

"I do as well," added Michio, "They should know as well that you are not that kind of person."

"Well, I did accept Aizen's invitation to go there and I didn't explain. I will go back to them and do that, but we are trying to make the way safe first."

Noa glanced over at her husband and the children. She started to speak, then stopped as a knocking sounded on the front door. She hustled Byakuya into a storeroom, then moved to the front door.

"Who is it?" she inquired.

"An old friend," a male voice called softly, "Abarai Renji. Do you remember me?"

Noa laughed softly and opened the door, then dragged the redhead quickly inside and into a warm hug.

"Renji-kun!" she exclaimed, "Blessed boy, it's been so long!"

"Hey, Noa," Renji said, kissing her on the cheek, "Good to see you too. Is Byakuya here?"

"He is," the old woman confirmed, "I just put him out of sight in case you were the secret mobile corps. Byakuya-sama has explained why they are after you two and we are going to help you. We will take care of the children you brought to us and I will give you some provisions. But you cannot stay here. The soldiers have been here more than once to search. You are going to have to get out of this area. I don't know where you will be safe."

"I'm not sure I know either," Renji sighed, "While I was out there, I overheard that soldiers on patrol in all areas of the Rukongai have been ordered to be watching for us. I think we'll have to try to get back to our friend in the living world."

"I think that would be wise," Noa said, leading him to the storeroom where Byakuya was concealed. She opened the door and called out softly.

"It's all right, Byakuya-sama, it was only Renji-kun."

"Ah, it is good to see you, Renji," Byakuya said in a relieved tone, "I wasn't sure if the racket that went up was of your making on purpose or if you had run into trouble."

"Oh, that was me," Renji chuckled, "I was just doing a little imitation of wild pigs for the distraction. The guys out there fell for it, no problem, but I think it would be good if we got out of here while the getting is good. The Rukongai is just patrolled by too many soldiers who know to look for us. We're going to have to go back to Kisuke."

"But there will probably be secret mobile corps waiting for us there," Byakuya said worriedly."

"Yeah, well the secret mobile corps doesn't know the secret way in, so we'll just slip by them and get Kisuke to set up something for us."

"It sounds like the only plan," Byakuya agreed.

He glanced back in the direction where the old healer was emerging from the bedroom.

"How are the children?" Byakuya asked, "Were you able to help the little girl?"

"Oh yes," Michio assured him, "The girl will be just fine. And I checked out her brother and found he was becoming ill as well, so I treated him. They both just need to rest, but they wanted to thank you for stopping to help them. You took quite a risk to do that and they are very appreciative."

"Very well," Byakuya said, heading into the room with Renji at his side.

The girl and boy looked up from their treatment beds and smiled at the two men.

"Thank you so much!" the boy said gratefully, "My sister is so much better and Michio-san said that he kept me from getting sick too."

"That is good news," Byakuya said quietly.

"But we were wondering," the boy went on, blushing slightly as he continued, "You were kind to us and you asked our names before. We couldn't say them because we don't have them. We heard you have to leave to avoid the soldiers, but we wondered if before you left, you could give us each a name to go by?"

Byakuya and Renji exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

"If you wish," Byakuya said, "But what can you tell us about yourselves that can help us to decide?"

"W-well, my sister is fond of the spirit steeds," the boy put forth, "She can even get them to accept apples from her hand."

"Then," said Byakuya, "you shall be Komako, _pony child_."

"That is a beautiful name!" the little girl said, smiling shyly, "Arigato."

"You are welcome," Byakuya said, nodding.

"Mama and Papa always said that brother was her good boy," Komako suggested.

The two men thought carefully.

"How about Masa?" Renji asked, "It means _good son_."

"I like it!" the boy said excitedly.

"I wish we could go with you," Komako said, smiling sadly and placing a hand on Byakuya's arm.

"but it would be too dangerous," Byakuya answered gently.

"Don't worry," Noa said from the doorway, "Michio and I know of a group of children who have room for a few to join up. They are good boys and girls and will help you to survive."

"And I will make you a promise," Byakuya said resolutely, "When I have cleared my name and I am able to return, I will pay to have a shelter built and staffed so that as many of the region's children as possible will have a protected place to go."

"Byakuya-sama!" Noa gasped softly.

"My wife grew up here and I always wished that there had been a place where she could have gone for help when she was young and her situation was desperate. Besides, if we cultivate survival skills and good morals in children here while they are young, they will stand a better chance of improving their situation when they are grown."

"That would be wonderful, Byakuya-sama," Michio said appreciatively, "But let us get the two of you ready to go. You must leave before morning. It will be much safer if you slip out at night while it is dark."

They adjourned to the kitchen, where Noa served the two a large, hot meal, then helped them to provision themselves for the trip to the living world.

"You two boys please be careful," Noa pleaded with them, "Michio and I wouldn't want you to come to harm. We will mislead the secret mobile corps and any officers who ask about you."

"Arigato," Byakuya said, squeezing the old woman's hand, then leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Yeah, from me too," Renji added, doing the same.

The two men gave their supply packs a last check, then slipped out the back of the building and through the darkness. They walked deep into the trees, then paused and Byakuya opened a senkaimon.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Renji asked, "I know it's a family senkaimon."

"Ah, but this one is not a Kuchiki senkaimon. I also have access to the Shihoin family key, so even if there is someone watching from my own family, we will not be sensed."

"Heh, good old Yoruichi-san, ne?" Renji said appreciatively.

"She owes me for the hell she put me through," Byakuya said dryly, "Come now, Renji."

The two stepped into the darkness of the corridor, listening carefully. Sensing nothing threatening, Byakuya led Renji forward, closing the senkaimon behind them.


End file.
